Poll: How do you personally feel about the term cisgender?

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

So due to people constantly insisting on derailing my thread, designed to help broaden the understanding of transgender people, with a debate on this term I decided to start this one.

I have only one rule for this thread: Keep it civil and polite! So don't throw insults and false accusations around. That said debating the term is perfectly fine, so long as you follow the site rules.

My Opinion: I'm honestly not quite sure what what to think of the term now. I'm just kind of tired of it being debated back and forth to the point it's lost almost all meaning in my mind. I guess replacing it might be inorder.

So what do you all think? Discuss!

 

[Sleepy Sol]

The majority of people aren't familiar with it because they never have to knowingly encounter people who don't match their pre-conceived notions of gender. So I basically never see it used in a real-life setting, but that doesn't mean it's not an appropriate and accurate descriptor. Or that it couldn't catch on at some point.

I'm not sure how people really get fed up with the term itself rather than the small amount of people they may encounter who act unpleasantly and use the term. It doesn't really affect me in any way if someone thinks it's the appropriate term to use to describe someone like me.

Cisgender hetero male here if that wasn't already apparent.

 

[Dalek Caan]

Didn't know what it meant and I had a look at the wiki page and it says that it is someone "who have a match between the gender they were assigned at birth, their bodies, and their personal identity". So I guess that means I'm a cisgender since I was born male and identity as male. I guess I'm ok with it although I don't understand the point in it.

To be honest my entire train of thought throughout the entire gender identity debate is that I will call them whatever gender they want to be because it's not up to me how they identify themselves and it will make things much easier.

This is my first time getting into this kind of thread so I apologize if anything I just typed is in anyway offensive.

 

[Hoplon]

I think it's literal gibberish. it's pretty much only in usage in science (chemistry and biology) so expecting anyone not a tumblrite to know what the crap is meant by it is hilarious nonsense.

 

[DementedSheep]

Why replace it? because a few idiots on tumblr or twitter use it as insult? it's not like it's widely used as an insult outside of that. It's pointless to use in the vast majority of discussions but it's not meant to be an everyday term. It's used when differentiating between cis and trans is actually relevant. If you only ever see it used an insult it's probably because you don't join discussions where it's relevant very often.
I think the people who complain about the term cisgender have no leg to stand on when they complain about other people taking "offence" to something they think is a minor issue.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

Why replace it? because a few idiots on tumbler or twitter use it as insult? it's not like it's widely used as an insult outside of that. It's pointless to use in the vast majority of discussions but it's not meant to be an everyday term. It's used when differentiating between cis and trans is actually relevant. If you only ever see it used an insult it's probably because you don't join discussion where it's relevant very often.
I think the people who complain about the term cisgender have no leg to stand on when they complain about other people taking "offence" to something they think is a minor issue.

I like you, that really made my day so far. Honestly it's been very useful to me as a term with my friends who are not trans, and the rest of their non-trans friends, even if I have to explain it. It's helpful especially when making comparasions and contrasts between cisgender and transgender people.

 

[Eddie the head]

It's fine I suppose, it's just a word. It dose come across as making a word for people that use shoes. Most people use shoes it would be weird if you didn't. I mean it's fine, but it dose seam superfluous in day to day talk. Although I don't get into gender debates much so it might have more use there? I guess that makes sense.

 

[Hoplon]

I think it's literal gibberish. it's pretty much only in usage in science (chemistry and biology) so expecting anyone not a tumblrite to know what the crap is meant by it is hilarious nonsense.

You're probably right, but isn't it sad that our educational system is so shot, that people don't even learn or retain the most basic biology or chemistry?

Beyond that, I've always come at it from Dalek Caan's point of view. What possible harm is there in giving people the benefit of the doubt on this?

It's the same as indulging any other bizarre sub identification like incel or MRA or PUA, they all spout bollocks about other people and they all deserve to be roundly ignored.

 

[Dismal purple]

Cis is a sweet word. When I was participating in trans discussion forums it was really awkward to have no word for people who aren't trans. We would say "heterosexual" instead of cis which was stupid and made us look like we were part of an exclusionary "NO HETEROSEXUALS ALLOWED" LGBT club.

Cis and trans dichotomy is the exact linguistic equivalent to homo and hetero and has no drawbacks at all. This is probably why it hasn't stirred up much of a controversy so far.

 

[senordesol]

Honestly, I think it's difficult for the lay person to parse what it means.

'Cis' as a prefix doesn't appear in any other word that I can readily command, so being told you're cisgendered without even knowing what that means can be off-putting for some.

Further, it kind of *sounds* like an insult. Not saying that's a good argument, but even if you explain it to someone in context; it sounds unnecessarily redundant if there's nothing else to its face value (i.e.: the gender you're born with is the gender you identify as).

Honestly, calling 'cisgendered' something like 'default gender' might just be a little more clear (and come off as less snobbish).

 

[Hoplon]

There are better terms for "Incel" MRA, and PUA... those are just re-branding attempts. We call them "Losers" "Bigots/Misogynists", and "People who prey on Losers".

What exactly are you offering as an alternative here?

Nothing, other than don't stuff labels on other people, it's rude.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I like "straight" better.

 

[The Lunatic]

The problem is, a number of people have used it as an insult. And as such, have really coloured the term for a lot of people.

It's unfortunate. I don't disagree with the term, I don't personally use it, as I've yet to have reason to, but, I understand why people are very wary of the term after the usage its seen.

 

[Erttheking]

It's a term to say "You identify the gender that you're born with". It's basically a clinical term.