They're not the same thing - sex is a (often flawed) biological classification, while gender is a social construct about what it means to be male, female, or not on the binary. For more info, here's a quick fact sheet from the APA that might help. http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/sexuality-definitions.pdf I'm glad that from where you sit you feel everyone has equal rights - that's a lovely world in which you live. I live in a very different reality, and disagree strongly that everyone has equal rights. If you want to be done, then thanks for the bumps - always appreciate getting our recruitment thread back to the top of the list - and good luck in the world, guardian!