assigned sex

[ uh-sahynd seks ]

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.

Sensitive Note

See sex reassignment surgery.

Word History and Origins

Origin of assigned sex¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

The first Trump Administration notoriously enacted a host of anti-LGBTQ policies, including repealing health care regulations that prohibited discrimination based on gender identity, implementing a ban on transgender troops, and rescinding a policy that allowed transgender and intersex inmates to be housed with inmates of the same gender identity rather than their assigned sex at birth.

From Salon

In 2022, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a law requiring public school students to use only bathrooms that matched their assigned sex at birth.

From Los Angeles Times

The term, which is used in multiple medical and legal contexts, and per the Human Rights Campaign is the preferred term to refer to individuals who align with their assigned sex at birth, is one flash point in a right-wing battle against any term which legitimizes the identity of transgender individuals.

From Salon

The latter, requested by Reynolds, would have required a transgender person’s assigned sex at birth to be listed alongside their gender identity on their birth certificate.

From Seattle Times

She was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, or distress caused when gender identity doesn’t match a person’s assigned sex.

From Seattle Times