Gender
Gender Sex Guide explains gender, biological sex, transgender people, non-binary identities and the terms used in escort ads for trans escorts, transgirls, ladyboys, crossdressers and other gender-diverse sex workers.
Contents
Sex and Gender
Sex usually describes physical traits such as chromosomes, hormones and reproductive anatomy. Most people are classified male or female at birth, while some people are intersex, meaning their physical traits do not fit typical male or female categories. The United Nations estimates that around 1.7% of people are born with intersex traits.
Gender is about identity, social roles and how people are expected to act. It is not exactly the same as biological sex. Some people identify with the gender given to them at birth. Others identify as transgender, non-binary, genderfluid, agender or something else.
How Many Genders Are There?
There is no worldwide number. Some cultures recognise only men and women. Others recognise additional genders or have long-standing traditions for people outside the male-female binary.
Common terms include:
- Non-binary - A gender identity outside the usual man-woman binary.
- Genderqueer - An identity that rejects or mixes traditional gender categories.
- Genderfluid - A gender identity that can change over time.
- Agender - Having little or no feeling of belonging to any gender.
- Transgender - A person whose gender does not match the sex assigned at birth.
- Crossdresser - Someone who wears clothing associated with another gender. Crossdressing does not automatically mean the person is transgender.
One academic source has listed more than 81 gender identities, but lists vary because people use different definitions and labels.
Indigenous and Cultural Gender Traditions
Gender diversity is not a new internet trend. Many societies have recognised more than two gender roles for centuries.
The Two-Spirit term is used by some Indigenous people in North America. In South Asia, hijra communities have their own long history and social identity. Samoa recognises fa'afafine, and Māori culture includes whakawāhine. The Bugis people of Indonesia traditionally describe five genders, including bissu.
These identities belong to their own cultures and are not simply interchangeable versions of modern Western labels.
The Western Binary
Western societies traditionally pushed a strict male-female system. Men were expected to act masculine, women feminine, and anyone outside those rules was often treated as abnormal or illegal.
That old binary still shapes law, religion, family life, advertising and the sex industry. At the same time, more people now openly use terms such as transgender, non-binary, genderqueer and genderfluid.
Countries Recognising More Than Two Genders
The legal position changes from country to country:
- Argentina - “X” gender marker available since 2021.
- Australia - X marker available on passports and identity documents.
- Austria - Non-binary and intersex recognition is available.
- Canada - X gender marker available on passports.
- Colombia - Legal identity changes are available for gender-diverse people.
- Denmark - Non-binary identity options are available in some documents.
- Germany - “Diverse” marker exists, with further changes extending access.
- Iceland - Non-binary recognition is available.
- India - The law recognises a third-gender category.
- Malta - Third-gender recognition has existed since 2014.
- Mexico - Some states and federal documents allow non-binary markers.
- Nepal - Third-gender recognition has existed since 2007.
- Netherlands - X markers and non-binary recognition are available in some cases.
- New Zealand - Non-binary options are available on official documents.
- Pakistan - A third-gender category is legally recognised.
- Portugal - Non-binary recognition is developing through identity reforms.
- Spain - Non-binary recognition is available in some regions and documents.
- Uruguay - Third-gender recognition is available.
Public Opinion
In the United States, around 34% accepted the idea of more than two genders in 2024, while about 66% still recognised only two. Younger people, especially Gen Z, are generally more open to non-binary identities.
In Australia, around 45% agreed that more than two genders exist, 38% disagreed and 15% were neutral. A 2021 Ipsos survey across 27 countries found around 1% of respondents identified as neither male nor female, with higher numbers among younger people and in some Western countries.
Where Gender Diversity Is More Visible
Gender-diverse identities are especially visible in:
- South Asia, including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
- Pacific Island cultures
- Indigenous communities in North America
- Northern Europe
- Latin America
- Southeast Asian communities such as the Bugis
Many Middle Eastern and African countries still enforce a strict male-female model. Some people face family rejection, police harassment, imprisonment or violence. Several Eastern European countries also use tighter legal definitions of gender.
Gender in Escort Advertising
Escort directories use many overlapping labels. You may see trans escorts, shemale escorts, ladyboy escorts, transgender women, crossdressers, non-binary escorts, feminine men, masculine women and male escorts.
The label in an advertisement does not tell you everything about the person. A trans escort may identify as a woman, a crossdresser may not identify as transgender, and some providers use older advertising words because those are the terms clients search for.
Common searches include:
- Trans escorts and transgender escorts
- Ladyboy escorts and shemale escorts
- Transgirls and TS escorts
- Crossdresser escorts
- Non-binary escorts
- Feminine male escorts
- Male and gay escorts
Check the provider's own description, ask what language they prefer and agree on services before meeting.
Quick Gender Summary
- Sex - Physical traits and reproductive biology.
- Gender - Identity, roles and social expectations.
- Transgender - Gender differs from sex assigned at birth.
- Non-binary - Identity outside the man-woman binary.
- Intersex - Physical sex traits do not fit typical male or female categories.
- Crossdresser - Clothing choice that does not automatically define gender.
- Third gender - A category recognised in some cultures and legal systems.
See Also
- Sexual fantasies | Roleplay | BDSM | Domination | Submission
