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

See Examples For:

assigned sex

Shumer said puberty is a big driver of gender dysphoria — a condition characterized by distress over gender identity that doesn’t match a person’s assigned sex.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 10, 2023

The 96-page guide also explains that doctors “assign” a baby’s sex at birth, but that for some, “that assigned sex doesn’t match who they know they are inside.”

From Washington Times ● Dec. 7, 2022

Gender dysphoria, by contrast, involves a person experiencing mental health issues because their assigned sex does not match their gender identity.

From Salon ● Nov. 9, 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

Transgender people are often uncomfortable being asked their assigned sex at birth, and nonbinary scientists we know often prefer not to disclose it.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 30, 2021