Sex

Sex is a group of physical differences in a species based on chromosomes, genitals, hormones, and secondary sex characteristics. Sex is often thought of as only including male and female, but similar to gender, sex is a spectrum with male and female being two extreme points. People can be intersex, which means they do not cleanly fall into "male" or "female".

Sex is primarily identified by the presences of certain sex characteristics. Sex characteristics include:


 * Chromosomes
 * Genitals
 * Reproductive organs
 * Secondary sex characteristics.
 * Dominant hormones in one's body.

The characteristics that are naturally displayed by one's body can are primarily determined by:


 * One's chromosomes.
 * The hormones one was exposed to in the womb.
 * The dominant hormones one's body reacts to after puberty.

One may change their sex characteristics through surgery, hormone replacement therapy, or other medical intervention, however one cannot change their sex itself.

If one was born with a combination of chromosomes and sex characteristics that can neatly fall into male or female one is considered dyadic. If one was born with a combination of chromosomes and sex characteristics that cannot be neatly fit into male or female one is considered intersex. Intersex is not a single body type, but includes a wide range variations in any of characteristics or combination of characteristics. If one is not intersex, but no longer has a combination of chromosomes and sex characteristics that fits the definition of dyadic then they may be considered altersex.

Assigned Sex at Birth
One's assigned sex at birth (ASAB) is typically used to determine one's assigned gender at birth (AGAB). It is typically male (AMAB), female (AFAB), or intersex. Though, one's assigned sex at birth does not determine one's gender later in life. ASAB it not always one's actual sex. Some intersex people are assign male or female at birth, because their condition of intersex either is does not obvious without genetic testing or did not present itself until puberty.

Gender
Gender is a social construct and has values typically associated with it such as masculinity, femininity, androgyny. Under the gender binary it is believed that gender can be assigned based on sex, however gender can differ from ones biological sex (transgender). Comfort or discomfort with one's sex characteristics may help in determining one's gender, however this is not always the case.

Resources

 * 1) https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/bias-free-language/gender