"Sexual orientation" vs. "Gender identity"

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What is "sexual orientation" vs. "gender identity"?
Gender and gender identity arguably are the same thing. Possibly the OP meant to put the word sex in, which of course would have made a bit more sense. So, I’ll explain, in my terms, and unlike another person who left an answer, I won’t bring the Almighty into the conversation.
  • Sex. What we are born with, the sexual organs that are found between our legs that make the doctor or midwife gleefully call “it’s a boy” or “it’s a girl”! It is understandable that gender gets confused at this stage, because the baby sadly doesn’t have the vocal abilities to say “no I’m not, I’m a girl” or “boy” or whatever.
  • Gender / Gender identity. How we define ourselves and how we present ourselves to the outside world. So, for example, I’m a woman, and my sex is defined between legs but my gender is defined between my ears. Outwardly, I present as a female and live my life accordingly. To anyone observing me, they see a woman - accurately- but they are unable to see between my legs. Thus, my sex is never usually outwardly shown, I might have the meat and two vegs, or I might have a love tunnel; either way my presentation, or my gender identity is female.
  • Sexual Orientation. Totally different thing and really should not be linked to gender in any way. Sexual orientation is the sex and by definition, the gender you are attracted to. A man is attracted to a male. A woman is attracted to a woman and it’s usually the sexual characteristics that drive that attraction. And of course, some men and women are attracted to people of both sexes.
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Of course, it can be seen as confusing. However, gender identity and sexual orientation are two totally different things and should not be used in the same sentence without defining the reason. For example, the transgender woman (defining gender) was attracted to the woman at the bar (defining sexual orientation)

There, nice word salad to work through and I didn’t bring the Almighty into the conversation whatsoever!
 
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What is "sexual orientation" vs. "gender identity"?
Sexuality: this is how you define what kind of people you are attracted to/interested in pursuing, and whether or not you prefer a certain gender. Different sexualities include (but are not limited to) homosexuality, heterosexuality, bisexuality, pansexuality, sapiosexuality, etc.

Gender: essentially defines how you identify yourself / your “sex.” For example, you may be a male, a female, or any number of other options. I myself identify as a female. There are many people who believe that gender is as fluid as sexuality is, which is why the two often get confused.
 
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“Gender” is either masculine or feminine. Biologically, you are either male or female. Then there are cultural issues, where this behavior is considered masculine while that behavior is considered feminine. Gender identity is complex, to put it mildly.

“Sexual orientation” involves who you think is sexually attractive. Liking men could make you a gay man or a straight woman. Liking women could make you a straight man or a lesbian.

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Gender influences sexual orientation because whether being attracted to women makes you straight or gay depends on your gender. Gender is the context, so to speak. Thus, if we did not have the concept of gender, we could not have the concept of straight or gay, to oversimplify the issue.

But the two are still two different items: gender is either biological sex or one’s gender identity; sexual orientation is to whom you are sexually attracted, with the concepts “straight” and “gay” being extensions of the concept.​
 
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Gender and gender identity are more or less the same thing. That's just when someone identifies themselves as a man or a woman.

(Some people like to separate the terms “gender” and “gender identity" because they might refer to “gender” as the gender that you express yourself outward to be, which might be different from the gender that you internally see yourself as, for example, a transgender woman who is still in the closet living as a man, while still seeing herself as a woman. Or maybe a crossdresser)

(Other people might use the term “gender” to refer to your genitalia male or female, penis or vagina. You would call this biological sex. While referring to “gender identity” referring to if you identify as a man or a woman)

Sexual orientation is who you go to bed with. Your sexuality is who you are attracted to men or women or both or neither. Gay men, lesbian women, bisexual or straight.
 

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