assigned sex

American  

[uh-sahynd seks] / əˈsaɪnd ˈsɛks /

noun

1. a baby’s sex as determined or assigned based on the appearance of external reproductive organs and, sometimes, chromosomal testing.

   One's gender identity is not necessarily congruent with one's assigned sex.

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Sensitive Note

See sex reassignment surgery.

Etymology

Origin of assigned sex

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Treatment typically begins with an evaluation for the distress caused when gender identity doesn’t match a person’s assigned sex.

From Washington Times • May 17, 2023

The petition also included reports citing a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, a condition causing anguish and other symptoms as a result of a disparity between a person’s gender identity and their assigned sex at birth.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 2, 2023

Transgender is an umbrella category that emerged in the U.S. in the 1990s to encompass diverse gender identities that don't fully correspond with an individual's assigned sex at birth.

From Salon • Dec. 6, 2022

“Being transgender is not a disability,” the court wrote in an opinion issued Tuesday, but “many transgender people experience gender dysphoria,” or distress over the discrepancy between their identity and their assigned sex.

From Washington Post • Aug. 17, 2022

A 2020 study of 300 gender-incongruent young people found that mental distress—including self-harm, suicidal thoughts and depression—increased as the children were made to proceed with puberty according to their assigned sex.

From Scientific American • May 12, 2022