Likewise the current US Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guidelines from 2017 state that the term 'biological sex' is 'imprecise and should be avoided', citing the existence of intersex conditions and eliding them with transgenderism. The guidelines endorse the controversial notion that sex is 'assigned' not recognised at birth, and argue that 'compelling studies' show that biology contributes to 'gender identity and its expression'.

I had been raised to believe that a person's future flows from facing their present reality. My reality was that I fancied men, and only men.

Accepting during puberty that I was erotically attracted to my own sex was an excruciatingly painful revelation, and not without suicidal undertones. By accepting my reality I found a new inner strength, purpose -- and yes, pride.

However, among non-LGBTQ adults, percentages remained stable with 49% reporting being "very" or "somewhat" comfortable with LGBTQ people. The study also found, for the fourth consecutive year, that eight out of 10 people support equal rights for members of the LGBTQ community.

The Act, which was introduced in Congress earlier this year and is scheduled for a vote on the House floor Friday, would add sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) to classes protected under the Civil Rights Act, such as race and sex. Proponents assert a faulty analogy between SOGI and race. Race is an immutable characteristic unconnected to distinctive behaviors or expressions. By contrast, behaviors and expressions are part of SOGI identities.