Sex vs Gender

When speaking to non-binary people, they say it’s frustrating when people aren’t accepting of their gender identity because they believe gender and sex are the same thing and that sex is scientifically binary. But are they the same?

Sex and gender are often used interchangeably and where as some dictionaries and academic disciplines give them different definitions, others do not.

By dictionary definition -

Sex:

1. either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and most other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions.

Gender:

2. the state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones).

As you can see by their definitions sex is what a person biologically is on the basis of their reproductive systems. Where as gender is looked at more as a person’s character and their social and culture differences.

Side note: On gender's dictionary definition under gramma it states: 'gender is only very loosely associated with natural distinctions of sex.'