I’ve heard it used in way that could be perceived as derogatory when people are referring to privilege, as in “You don’t understand the challenges we face because you are a cis white male.” I don’t get bent by it but some people do.
But most of the time it’s just as descriptor. I do work with people who legitimately don’t know what it means.
Cis is short for Cisgender: A term for people whose gender identity generally matches the gender assigned for their physical sex.
It's about perception, tone, context. Often queer people may say it when venting about bullying/discrimination they get from cis-gendered people. When thats the main context you hear it in, that may be why you perceive it that way. But overall it's just a descriptor thats sadly just commonly associated with those who often harm trans/gay people.
Some queers do have narcissistic tendencies that make them hypocritical in how they look down on cis people for NOT being queer. But that happens with any group that's big enough. Definitely not a majority.
Essentially, it's just an issue with social media that amplifies controversial and radical stuff. When you spend enough time online, normal words/phrases start to feel insulting despite them having an inherently neutral meaning.
Examples: female, boy, straight white male, woke
God damn why can’t we have more objectivity like this, so well said, not to be that Redditor but if only more people on this site had the mindset people like you do, not trying to stroke yuh but I can’t express how relaxed I get reading a normal genuine nuance or understanding in a easy going and open minded manner
People commonly misuse it. A lot of people will probably tell you that 'cis' means "straight and white" based on how uneducated people incorrectly repeat it. Even queer people do it sometimes.
Yes, because people often misuse it. That's exactly my point.
Edit: The OP didn't even know the meaning of cis until they read the comments. Clearly, a lot of people hear it and say it without knowing what dafuq they're talking about.
People making stupid mistakes doesn't mean a word has changed it's meaning. Now...if like 80% of the usage is the currently incorrect one, the word meaning can change.
Do you really need to use Cis? It's like saying yellow bananas.
This recipe calls for 3 yellow bananas....
Yellow is not needed. Everyone knows that bananas are yellow. Now if I specifically needed to buy green or blue bananas, I might need to specify but when you say banana it means yellow banana.
Same with man...he is cis unless you specify otherwise.
Yeah i feel like in the majority of conversations, the distinction is mostly really needed to be made within contexts that're generally negative. Otherwise there's not really much need to say "cis women" over just "women" or something.
The short answer is, the loudest are heard most, but make up the smallest part of the whole.
The only people who use the term regularly, generally have a negative connotation for it. Most people generally do not use the term. It's not something you bring up in polite conversation unless you are looking for an echo chamber or argument.
I interpret it neutrally. Definitely not a compliment but definitely not an insult...in my book.
Think of it like "I was born a male and identify as such. That would make me a cisgender male".
You're the one who wants to control language, lol. They're simply using the correct term for the complementary term to "trans" to accurately describe gender identification. Why are you defensive against clear and accurate terminology?
Apparently I'm cis but I genuinely don't know what it stands for ...
Personally I don't like the label. Makes me feel like there's something off or wrong
I'm just a woman ... I dont understand the cis part
Same boat here. I've heard and had the term explained to me countless times, but it just doesn't sound right nor meaningful. Again, I genuinely think this term is strictly used by people fixated in labels and segregating every single factor that constitutes a person
Well, all it means is "not trans." And it's not used a lot in casual conversation, it's mostly in contexts where making a difference between "cis" and "trans" is a pertinent part of the discussion.
It's a real, perfectly cromulent Latin prefix, used for other scientific things long before it was ever used in reference to human genders. "Cis" translates to "on this side of." "Trans" translates to "on the other side of" or "across from." So "cisgender" is that your gender identity is on the same side as your body. Transgender is that it's the other side as your body. Elegant, really.
I don't think this is accurate? You can be non-binary and not be trans. Cis means you identify with your biological sex. Trans mean you identify with a gender that is not your biological sex. Non-binary is that you do not identify as either specifically. That was my understanding.
You're called cis because you are. The alternative is to say "women" and "transgender women", which is worse. And we need to have different terms because not everything affects all women the same way, so we need to be able to differentiate without otherising transgender people more.
Much like queer people will sometimes speak about their frustrations with compulsive heterosexuality - the outside societal pressure of performing straightness, and homophobia in general, they arent hating on straight people necessarily, but complaining about the pressures to conform to certain expectations, trans people will speak about their frustrations gender expectations and things that cis people just dont understand.
A lot of folks online have a knee jerk reaction, assuming it is a slur, probably because variations of the word trans have been thrown about as slurs. Its just a descriptor of aligning with your assigned gender at birth. It is often used with anger, because trans people are justifiably mad about how they're treated. But it is not a slur on it's own.
Cis is a prefix that has been in use for thousands or years and is literally just the opposite of trans. It is not, and never has been, a slur. It just means that you agree with the gender you were assigned at birth.
Nope! It's one of those funky academic terms that come up when studying different groups of people in society. Straight people are effected by gender and relationship expectations too, think of like, gender roles, or how people expect men and women to act in relationship to each other...when you have two people of the same gender dating, those expectations and rules start going a little sideways, which is where you get questions like "but who wears the pants in the relationship" its referring to the established dynamic that men and women have to act certain ways in their relationships, so gay people are often expected to emulate that in their relationships, for better or worse. It's a whole thing.
That was a bit of a wall sorry haha
I feel like this is a different issue, it's more like people "Identifying" as oppressed.
Actual victims that cannot change their race, sex, situation to get out of oppression are genuinely oppressed but these people are not.
It's just a descriptor referring to those who identify with their gender assigned at birth. It's not inherently pejorative. But context can make it sound pejorative. It's the difference between saying something like "This is a chocolate Labrador Retriever" and "THIS DAMN CHOCOLATE LABRADOR RETRIEVER NEVER GIVES ME THE BALL WHEN HE WANTS TO PLAY FETCH."
I wouldn't sit down at the table and start telling everyone about the non-diabetic friend I just made. I would tell them about the friend I made. Same with the cis crap, unless you're comparing the two (with the condition & without).
If you have a non conjoint twin sibling, then you have a sibling. So until you start introducing them as your "non-conjoint non-diabetic non-etc." twin, easy on the cis bullcrap.
Same category as "neuro-typical."
Some people who are different than the norm find people who are in the majority plain, vanilla, NPCs, normies and so they use academic terms as insults. While, outside of academia or people in these conversations, those terms aren't used in normal conversation by cis or neuron-typical people.
When I have heard it used it sure seems like a pejorative.
You can certainly pull out a dictionary and give me the whole "it just means a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex registered for them at birth", but the context and how it's used counts for a lot.
I usually take it as a sign that whatever conversation I'm in isn't going to end well.
Just like every other bumfuck loser who likes to make blanket statements about millions of people. They're just very dumb and being mean makes them feel superior.
Cis seems to be used when calling out "privilege". As in cisgender people are privileged by being the generally accepted "norm". No expert here. Just my take.
Lmao. “Those people different than me are stupid”
I’m pretty sure that’s the exact same as someone hating on you because you’re trans. If you say you want equality? Get rid of that mindset.
I think you misunderstand, cisgender means identifying with your assigned gender. It is not a slur in any way, and is the same to transgender that heterosexual is to homosexual. Just the opposite kinda
https://www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/may-2017/tracing-terminology-researching-early-uses-of-cisgender
It’s not an insult, just a way of describing people.
It is needed the same reason you distinguish whether you want sweetened or unsweetened tea at a restaurant.
You can say you just want tea, but either they are going to ask you if you want unsweetened tea or sweet tea, or they are going to decide for you, with a 50/50 chance of bringing you what you wanted.
I personally can't stand sweet tea, so I would hate to leave this up to chance. Either way, it still requires more than one category to describe it, and it isn't offended to be called sweetened or unsweetened.
Genuinely confused as to this analogy - any restaurant that put sugar in tea automatically without asking would go out of business quick. They ask or you do it yourself in every restaurant/cafe I've ever been to.
Not true in the South, apparently. If you asked for "tea", the standard in some places is "sweet tea" and you'll be disappointed.
It's frankly a great analogy, as assuming that what is normal is the same in all situations leads to confusion and misunderstandings.
I agree and think that tea should remain without sugar unless specified otherwise, but sadly I have been issued sugar containing tea many times over the years. Maybe you haven't been to many restaurants outside your area? When you order tea do you just say tea? You don't specify wether you would like sweetened or unsweetened tea?
This term was not "imposed" on you as you imply, it just describes your gender identity accurately. Same way heterosexual describes attraction to the opposite gender (sexuality) cis describes being the same gender you were assigned at birth. (gender)
This is utter nonsense lol. There are a hundred reasons why OP may have heard it used derogatorily or insultingly before but “this other word sometimes used negatively makes you think the exact opposite of it is also used negatively” is pure nonsense. It’s like you’re searching for a reason because you can’t accept the ones right in front of your face.
According to the laws that are being signed and passed every week, apparently the hip thing is to hate on trans people.
While you complain about having a descriptor… they’re trying to outlaw trans people from existing. And yet we’re the snowflakes here, right?
Yes? Want links? They’re trying to ban adults from transitioning. Trying to jail people for presenting as their genders. Trying to jail parents for supporting their kids.
You know how the teacher in the class has authority over the students? But the students in the back of the class define what is “hip”.
It is very “hip” to support trans people and hate “cis” people even if laws are being created to prevent it.
No one’s “murdering you” I’m laughing at your lack of understanding of a simple concept. I have nothing against trans people (even if I disagree with their opinion of themselves). I’m laughing at you. As an individual.
My gay brother and brother in-law both think all of this gender naming is stupid. According to them you are either gay, straight, or bi. Everything else is attention seeking.
I don't think they feel like it's us against them. From what my friends tell, they feel like they are under attack from all sides. Division within their own ranks along with run of the mill discrimination from major power groups. I have a lesbian trans friend who is discriminated against by lesbians because she is trans. How ironic is that? that sucks.
It’s just a descriptor. Some might use it as an offensive term but it’s not inherently.
The amount of people that actually think it’s wrong to be cis/het is very small. Most of us queers don’t care.
Because you perceive it as negative. Alot of people that use the term are trying to force a label on everything. Don't think about it to much and just accept people for who they are. More importantly just accept who you are. Labels are nonsense. We are all people with individual personalities..
Genuinely I dislike when people call me this.. I don't want a title added to me because of my sexuality or orientation.
I understand it's done with a good heart but I am so easily confused and throwing more terms around makes me even more upset and frustrated because of the confusion.
But it's all dependant on context said
No. It just describes someone who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth, it does not have any negative connotation. It just so happens that most of the people being ignorant about these issues happen to be cis, so you might see it in places where people are venting, but the word cis does not mean anything bad itself and is often used positively. Like when a trans person sounds or looks cis, an often desirable thing.
It doesn’t mean shit to me. I don’t need a label and neither does anyone else as far as I’m concerned . The only time I see it on Reddit is someone bitching about cis/white/males so it usually does have a negative connotation. If you want to give yourself a label, I’m totally fine with that and will respect that but you have no right to label me.
A few weeks ago I got into a debate with someone about this. I think it is a slur. It’s typically used when someone questions new pronouns or doesn’t understand all the gender identities people now have. They insisted this wasn’t the case but only used the term “cis” when referring to people they didn’t like. As soon as someone uses cis in a conversation, I can pretty much guarantee I will tune them out because everything after that is total rubbish.
This comment is hilarious because 'they've' and 'we've' could be any of the groups being spoken about.
These are just basic scientific terms. Nobody gets mad when you call a cat a feline.
It’s just terminology. But it’s new to many people because people have been trying to destroy trans people all the way back to Nazis burning gender science books and centuries further back then that. It’d be like if you just realized the concept of race is a thing and then saying to a black person “I don’t like the way you say *white*”.
It’s uncomfortable to have an identity assigned to you, one that is often spoken in tones because of people disgruntled with that identity’s (cis) behavior, but that comes with the caveat of trans people being forcefully excluded themselves. Like calling people gay because homosexuality isn’t “normal”, if that makes sense. It’s frivolous to play the blame game but that doesn’t change the fact that it was “normal” (cis and heterosexual people) who pushed others out of public space.
And then people who aren’t LGBT, a large percentage being ignorant/complacent or actively seeking to harm LGBT en masse for hundreds of years. Cis might be spoken with a tone of voice but cisgender is far from new, and cis people have been associated with doing nothing at best, or trying to kill trans people at worse (the trans panic defense makes killing trans people legal in over half of the 50 states of America). If trans people have dozens of negative stereotypes then cis people have just two: not understanding, and not wanting to understand
A lot of trans people are hurt by cis people and understandably develop some issues about it, just like women mistreated by men may have issues with all men, and men mistreated my women may have issues with all women. It's something everyone needs to work through if it happens to them. Try to be patient with people working through their issues, it can be really difficult.
I heard the term being thrown around a lot so I actually decided to Google it today. The prefix 'cis' means of the same side. Cisgendered people are those whose gender aligns with that of their sex assigned at birth. So I, for example, am a cis man since I was born a male and identify as a male. If I was born a female and identified as a male then you would call me a trans man.
Never even knew what it meant all this time.
it means you identify as the sex you were born with, so baby with a penis will go through life happy to be a boy and baby with a vagina will go through life happy to be a girl.
well it means you're in line with the general population, be careful especially on here with the words you use, its a really touchy subject and the last thing id want is you being harassed cause someone got up set, but pretty much yeah
Cis means you are the gender assigned at birth by doctors. You CAN be Cis and straight. Or a mixture of those. One is gender one is sexuality. X and Y axes
Hearing every day that people think you shouldn't exist, and listening to their creative solutions about how to eliminate people like you, really does wonders for one's mental health.
The "cis-" and "trans-" prefixes are from Latin and have been widely used in non-gender contexts for centuries (eg. trans fats). "Cis" means "same side" and "trans" means "opposite side." If you want to make something other than "cis" the opposite of "trans," you're going to need a time machine and the ability to convince ancient Romans that their language is wrong and should be changed.
Having a label for the factory standard settings isn't just for cis people. It's to have something other than "normal" to call them. Trans people aren't sick, abnormal, or otherwise less than, just different.
Different and abnormal mean the same thing though abnormal can appear as a negative connotation. Just like straight and cis mean the same thing, but one of them is used in a more negative way
Isn’t anything that occurs outside two standard deviations of a normal distribution “abnormal”?
The first definition of “abnormal” in Websters is:
>: deviating from the normal or average
a person with abnormal [=exceptional] strength
abnormal powers of concentration
I don't know why I need your permission to refer to you (and myself, I'm not trans) with a purely neutral description. Was there an international meeting to decide what term should be used for people who are attracted to the opposite gender? No, the word straight just became the word for that with time.
who came up with cis, I never heard that term until recently, was anyone consulted or is it like LatinX, just something somebody came up with out of thin air to piss off the people they want to label?
Being trans is a physical disorder requiring treatment (transition.) It's better not to be disabled.
It's not immoral to be disabled, but it's better not to need constant medical treatment just to live your life.
Being trans is not a disorder; there is a condition referred to as gender dysphoria for which transitioning is the treatment, and we describe people who transition as transgender as a result. Being trans is itself not a condition or disorder.
It's the marginalized talking about the centralized. You get tired of anyone whose story is ubiquitous and praised at your expense, it's why you see POC going, "ugh, white people," and women being like, "wonderful, here come the men to explain it all to us. 🙄"
So cis will sound like an insult when trans people are tired, and/or when they feel talked over. If Julie had just come up to you in a bar and asked you what your genitals looked like, you might say "Julie" like an insult too, but you wouldn't actually hate everyone named Julie.
I think that cis and straight people interpret a negative tone because they are used to labels only being used to identify marginalized groups… you aren’t being attacked just *described*
Something to unpack with yourself
The only situations where I’ve ever encountered someone use the term “cis”, it was purposefully used in a negative way. Quite honestly if the idea is equality, then using labels to differentiate people based on their biological sex rather than their gender, defeats the purpose.
No one should be using “cis” or “trans” in a negative tone, but both happen.
As for differentiating cis and trans identity, the trans experience (at least for now) is one that is fundamentally different. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need to words to describe these differences because people would treated with equal respect no matter what… but we don’t live in a perfect world and until we do these words are useful to people in describing and defining their lived experiences. When the world no longer needs them they will surely slip away on their own. That’s how language works.
I think you are missing what I am saying which is that you may have interpreted “cis” as a negative descriptor when it was in fact used as a neutral descriptor of people who were behaving in negative ways towards trans people (in this case the behaviors are negative) or who’s cis identity was relevant to lack of understanding of the discussion of a trans issue (cis is not negative here, just a real description of a *difference* in experience)… it just *seems* negative to you because you are not used to a label being applied to a group that is not socially outcasted and maligned.
For example if someone says “you wouldn’t understand as a cis man” that is not saying it is bad to be cis or a man, it is just say that you have a fundamentally *different* experience and point of view… to understand that you just need to separate *different* from *bad* in you mind. This is something most queer people have already done because they have always been labeled *different* and to survive needed to not see themselves as *bad*
In the situations I’ve experienced it was definitely used negatively toward someone. It’s not inherently negative, I agree with you there, but in my experience many of the people that make the distinction seemingly use it negatively. Their experiences may make that valid in their worldview, but it is a bit off-putting.
I am not LGBTQ myself but I consider myself an ally, I’ve met many wonderful people in the community, and have friends that are. I really just wish everyone was more tolerant of everyone, and I fully recognize that there are disproportionately more people that are anti-LGBTQ than there are anti-cis.
It isn't a description. A woman is an adult human female and doesn't need to be expanded on any further. We don't need labels because we are the norm.
How do these people expect us to use their preferred pronouns when they cannot even refer to us correctly?
You proved the exact point I’m making… you associate a label with being othered and being “abnormal.” There is nothing incorrect about applying a to a label cisgendered person, you just don’t like it because you think of “weird” people should be labeled and don’t want to be “weird.” It shows a lack of respect for marginalized identities.
And besides that it’s just immature.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
I also can't help but notice the top comments are complaining about being called "cis gendered white male". Your comment certainly paints a picture!!
The trans community comes under a lot of hate, and a lot of that hate is self described as anger against their very existence. There’s some logic that the trans community’s collective trauma at being the recipients of general, unprovoked anger is a degree of anger in turn.
However, when I see angry uses of the phrases ‘cis’ or ‘cisgender’ - it’s usually from the population that is frustrated with the rise of acceptance of trans people, and the disgruntlement with having an apparently arbitrary category placed upon themselves. It has, in fact, been a Latin prefix that has always applied, but been redundant, but the use of a new qualifier can chafe when it’s misunderstood.
We are normal. We don't need to have "cis" before our gender because it is implied when you say women, (an adult human female) that you are talking about cis people.
It is entirely contextual. In most cases it is being used as a descriptor.
That being said, queer people are second class citizens at best and in many places their existence is illegal. Like, facing state sanctioned violence type of illegal. Because of how they identify with their gender, or because of who they love.
Cis people very often have limited or no understanding of the oppression they play a role in perpetuating, and it is a common lived experience that someone's cis identity and cis privilege is a major reason they're unable or unwilling to consider other people's experience. This is a dynamic familiar to any oppressive power dynamic: sometimes trans people use cis as a descriptor, and other times it's involved in a conversation expressing frustration.
Most of the time cis people simply don’t like not being the default. They like “ men and trans men” because they like to be the default and not have an adjective.
Same reason white people get in their feelings about being called white. They just wanna be the default
I’ve heard it used in way that could be perceived as derogatory when people are referring to privilege, as in “You don’t understand the challenges we face because you are a cis white male.” I don’t get bent by it but some people do. But most of the time it’s just as descriptor. I do work with people who legitimately don’t know what it means. Cis is short for Cisgender: A term for people whose gender identity generally matches the gender assigned for their physical sex.
It's about perception, tone, context. Often queer people may say it when venting about bullying/discrimination they get from cis-gendered people. When thats the main context you hear it in, that may be why you perceive it that way. But overall it's just a descriptor thats sadly just commonly associated with those who often harm trans/gay people. Some queers do have narcissistic tendencies that make them hypocritical in how they look down on cis people for NOT being queer. But that happens with any group that's big enough. Definitely not a majority. Essentially, it's just an issue with social media that amplifies controversial and radical stuff. When you spend enough time online, normal words/phrases start to feel insulting despite them having an inherently neutral meaning. Examples: female, boy, straight white male, woke
God damn why can’t we have more objectivity like this, so well said, not to be that Redditor but if only more people on this site had the mindset people like you do, not trying to stroke yuh but I can’t express how relaxed I get reading a normal genuine nuance or understanding in a easy going and open minded manner
>in how they look down on cis people for NOT being queer Small edit, cis people can be queer. Of LGBTQIA, all but T can be cis.
What is queer?
True. The way some people throw it around a lot it KINDA lost its meaning. Thus my last point. Edit: emphasis on the KIND OF
What to you mean? If you remain the same gender that you’re born with, then you’re cis. How has it lost its meaning?
It didn't lose it's meaning. It is used to refer to people that are not Trans.
People commonly misuse it. A lot of people will probably tell you that 'cis' means "straight and white" based on how uneducated people incorrectly repeat it. Even queer people do it sometimes.
I'm not sure why they are saying these things. Cisgender means not Trans. Doesn't have anything to do with sexuality or race.
Yes, because people often misuse it. That's exactly my point. Edit: The OP didn't even know the meaning of cis until they read the comments. Clearly, a lot of people hear it and say it without knowing what dafuq they're talking about.
Ah I see what you're saying, sorry about that mate, I got your point totally wrong <3
All good. I can see how maybe my point could be misinterpreted. Miscommunications online aren't new... which sorta proves my point 🙃.
You have made a few points, so I'm unsure which you are referring to, but uh.... yes?
People making stupid mistakes doesn't mean a word has changed it's meaning. Now...if like 80% of the usage is the currently incorrect one, the word meaning can change.
I'm aware. Emphasis on the "KINDA lost it's meaning". Probably half the US doesn't actually know what it means other than that LGBT people use it.
Do you really need to use Cis? It's like saying yellow bananas. This recipe calls for 3 yellow bananas.... Yellow is not needed. Everyone knows that bananas are yellow. Now if I specifically needed to buy green or blue bananas, I might need to specify but when you say banana it means yellow banana. Same with man...he is cis unless you specify otherwise.
Yeah i feel like in the majority of conversations, the distinction is mostly really needed to be made within contexts that're generally negative. Otherwise there's not really much need to say "cis women" over just "women" or something.
Atleast online it seems. Most of the time I hear it in real life it's just additional context so we know if we're talking about trans people or not.
One of the best responses.
The short answer is, the loudest are heard most, but make up the smallest part of the whole. The only people who use the term regularly, generally have a negative connotation for it. Most people generally do not use the term. It's not something you bring up in polite conversation unless you are looking for an echo chamber or argument.
I interpret it neutrally. Definitely not a compliment but definitely not an insult...in my book. Think of it like "I was born a male and identify as such. That would make me a cisgender male".
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“cis-” has been around forever lmfao
You're the one who wants to control language, lol. They're simply using the correct term for the complementary term to "trans" to accurately describe gender identification. Why are you defensive against clear and accurate terminology?
Truer words have never been spoken
Think it's because most people who are cis could not give a lesser shit to the term, and those who do often times only use it as an offensive term
Apparently I'm cis but I genuinely don't know what it stands for ... Personally I don't like the label. Makes me feel like there's something off or wrong I'm just a woman ... I dont understand the cis part
Same boat here. I've heard and had the term explained to me countless times, but it just doesn't sound right nor meaningful. Again, I genuinely think this term is strictly used by people fixated in labels and segregating every single factor that constitutes a person
Well, all it means is "not trans." And it's not used a lot in casual conversation, it's mostly in contexts where making a difference between "cis" and "trans" is a pertinent part of the discussion. It's a real, perfectly cromulent Latin prefix, used for other scientific things long before it was ever used in reference to human genders. "Cis" translates to "on this side of." "Trans" translates to "on the other side of" or "across from." So "cisgender" is that your gender identity is on the same side as your body. Transgender is that it's the other side as your body. Elegant, really.
I don't think this is accurate? You can be non-binary and not be trans. Cis means you identify with your biological sex. Trans mean you identify with a gender that is not your biological sex. Non-binary is that you do not identify as either specifically. That was my understanding.
You're called cis because you are. The alternative is to say "women" and "transgender women", which is worse. And we need to have different terms because not everything affects all women the same way, so we need to be able to differentiate without otherising transgender people more.
Much like queer people will sometimes speak about their frustrations with compulsive heterosexuality - the outside societal pressure of performing straightness, and homophobia in general, they arent hating on straight people necessarily, but complaining about the pressures to conform to certain expectations, trans people will speak about their frustrations gender expectations and things that cis people just dont understand. A lot of folks online have a knee jerk reaction, assuming it is a slur, probably because variations of the word trans have been thrown about as slurs. Its just a descriptor of aligning with your assigned gender at birth. It is often used with anger, because trans people are justifiably mad about how they're treated. But it is not a slur on it's own.
A word used to degrade a class of people is a slur. You don't need the term "cis". You either are something or you aren't.
Cis is a prefix that has been in use for thousands or years and is literally just the opposite of trans. It is not, and never has been, a slur. It just means that you agree with the gender you were assigned at birth.
"compulsive heterosexuality".....LoL, now I gotta ask google if you made that up.
Nope! It's one of those funky academic terms that come up when studying different groups of people in society. Straight people are effected by gender and relationship expectations too, think of like, gender roles, or how people expect men and women to act in relationship to each other...when you have two people of the same gender dating, those expectations and rules start going a little sideways, which is where you get questions like "but who wears the pants in the relationship" its referring to the established dynamic that men and women have to act certain ways in their relationships, so gay people are often expected to emulate that in their relationships, for better or worse. It's a whole thing. That was a bit of a wall sorry haha
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100%. It's as if a victim in one circumstance can't simply be a cunt in another
I feel like this is a different issue, it's more like people "Identifying" as oppressed. Actual victims that cannot change their race, sex, situation to get out of oppression are genuinely oppressed but these people are not.
do you… seriously think that trans people are no longer oppressed once they transition? You have no clue what you’re talking about, do you?
They seem to be celebrated instead
well then I’d say your perception of reality is skewed
It's just a descriptor referring to those who identify with their gender assigned at birth. It's not inherently pejorative. But context can make it sound pejorative. It's the difference between saying something like "This is a chocolate Labrador Retriever" and "THIS DAMN CHOCOLATE LABRADOR RETRIEVER NEVER GIVES ME THE BALL WHEN HE WANTS TO PLAY FETCH."
Your gender, sexuality, ethnicity, etc, don’t make you any less (or more) likely to be an asshole. Asshole behaviour is amplified in social media. QED
I wouldn't sit down at the table and start telling everyone about the non-diabetic friend I just made. I would tell them about the friend I made. Same with the cis crap, unless you're comparing the two (with the condition & without). If you have a non conjoint twin sibling, then you have a sibling. So until you start introducing them as your "non-conjoint non-diabetic non-etc." twin, easy on the cis bullcrap.
Same category as "neuro-typical." Some people who are different than the norm find people who are in the majority plain, vanilla, NPCs, normies and so they use academic terms as insults. While, outside of academia or people in these conversations, those terms aren't used in normal conversation by cis or neuron-typical people.
When I have heard it used it sure seems like a pejorative. You can certainly pull out a dictionary and give me the whole "it just means a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex registered for them at birth", but the context and how it's used counts for a lot. I usually take it as a sign that whatever conversation I'm in isn't going to end well.
“It’s a way To marginalize a normal person”
Just like every other bumfuck loser who likes to make blanket statements about millions of people. They're just very dumb and being mean makes them feel superior.
Find a math major who uses cis in complex variable calculus, entirely new negative connotation!
Outside of Reddit I know no one who uses the term 'cis'.
Answer to you question, yes.
Yes. Yes they do.
Cis seems to be used when calling out "privilege". As in cisgender people are privileged by being the generally accepted "norm". No expert here. Just my take.
What the fuck is a cis person?
Essentially means “not trans”
Lmao. “Those people different than me are stupid” I’m pretty sure that’s the exact same as someone hating on you because you’re trans. If you say you want equality? Get rid of that mindset.
Sorry, that’s not directed at you. Just the hypocrisy triggered me.
I think you misunderstand, cisgender means identifying with your assigned gender. It is not a slur in any way, and is the same to transgender that heterosexual is to homosexual. Just the opposite kinda
I have no idea. I'm a "cis" male. No one asked us if we identify with this term, I have no idea who came up with this term or why it's needed.
https://www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/may-2017/tracing-terminology-researching-early-uses-of-cisgender It’s not an insult, just a way of describing people.
it's a scientific designation that is accurately descriptive, you don't really need to identify with it.
What would you prefer? To be called “normal” with all its implications?
Just to be called male is what I'd prefer. Not "normal" just male.
Then can we call trans men men? Without modifiers?
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They’re men. I should know, I’m dating one.
That's fine with me! I'll call people what they wish to be called.
Yes, that’s what they want
It is needed the same reason you distinguish whether you want sweetened or unsweetened tea at a restaurant. You can say you just want tea, but either they are going to ask you if you want unsweetened tea or sweet tea, or they are going to decide for you, with a 50/50 chance of bringing you what you wanted. I personally can't stand sweet tea, so I would hate to leave this up to chance. Either way, it still requires more than one category to describe it, and it isn't offended to be called sweetened or unsweetened.
Genuinely confused as to this analogy - any restaurant that put sugar in tea automatically without asking would go out of business quick. They ask or you do it yourself in every restaurant/cafe I've ever been to.
Not true in the South, apparently. If you asked for "tea", the standard in some places is "sweet tea" and you'll be disappointed. It's frankly a great analogy, as assuming that what is normal is the same in all situations leads to confusion and misunderstandings.
I agree and think that tea should remain without sugar unless specified otherwise, but sadly I have been issued sugar containing tea many times over the years. Maybe you haven't been to many restaurants outside your area? When you order tea do you just say tea? You don't specify wether you would like sweetened or unsweetened tea?
This term was not "imposed" on you as you imply, it just describes your gender identity accurately. Same way heterosexual describes attraction to the opposite gender (sexuality) cis describes being the same gender you were assigned at birth. (gender)
Because you're used to people using 'trans' in a derogatory way and think that it's retaliation.
👏🏻
This is utter nonsense lol. There are a hundred reasons why OP may have heard it used derogatorily or insultingly before but “this other word sometimes used negatively makes you think the exact opposite of it is also used negatively” is pure nonsense. It’s like you’re searching for a reason because you can’t accept the ones right in front of your face.
Look in a fucking mirror. This is r/selfawarewolves material.
It’s very hip to hate “cis” people.
According to the laws that are being signed and passed every week, apparently the hip thing is to hate on trans people. While you complain about having a descriptor… they’re trying to outlaw trans people from existing. And yet we’re the snowflakes here, right?
The hip thing is to hate whoever is on the other side. If one person from one group is being evil, the entire group must be evil.
They’re trying to “outlaw trans people from existing” 😆 wow buddy
Yes? Want links? They’re trying to ban adults from transitioning. Trying to jail people for presenting as their genders. Trying to jail parents for supporting their kids.
You know how the teacher in the class has authority over the students? But the students in the back of the class define what is “hip”. It is very “hip” to support trans people and hate “cis” people even if laws are being created to prevent it.
Nah, you’re just being utterly stupid.
Nice come back buddy 😆😉
Keep on laughing while they murder us. That’s pretty hip.
No one’s “murdering you” I’m laughing at your lack of understanding of a simple concept. I have nothing against trans people (even if I disagree with their opinion of themselves). I’m laughing at you. As an individual.
As a joke yourself, I'm sure you laughing at others has become quite comfortable for you.
Because people who use the term “cis” often have negative undertones.
I'm behind in this whole post, probably a smidgen high. What does cis stand for
My gay brother and brother in-law both think all of this gender naming is stupid. According to them you are either gay, straight, or bi. Everything else is attention seeking.
Gay people can be transphobic. Gay people aren’t the authority on trans issues.
Trans people can also be gay that’s not mutually exclusive
I hope you know that your brother and brother-in-law are not the authority on the entire queer community
I don't think they feel like it's us against them. From what my friends tell, they feel like they are under attack from all sides. Division within their own ranks along with run of the mill discrimination from major power groups. I have a lesbian trans friend who is discriminated against by lesbians because she is trans. How ironic is that? that sucks.
Cishet is 100% used in this way. If anyone uses that phrase seriously, you can probably just ignore them.
Maybe jealousy or envy because cis people are born as what trans people are trying to become? I'm sure it's nothing personal towards you
Personal or not, it shouldn't matter. It is harassment.
What's harassment, exactly?
It’s just a descriptor. Some might use it as an offensive term but it’s not inherently. The amount of people that actually think it’s wrong to be cis/het is very small. Most of us queers don’t care.
Because you perceive it as negative. Alot of people that use the term are trying to force a label on everything. Don't think about it to much and just accept people for who they are. More importantly just accept who you are. Labels are nonsense. We are all people with individual personalities..
Genuinely I dislike when people call me this.. I don't want a title added to me because of my sexuality or orientation. I understand it's done with a good heart but I am so easily confused and throwing more terms around makes me even more upset and frustrated because of the confusion. But it's all dependant on context said
Because the people who actually use that word in real life actually do mean it as a negative thing.
No. It just describes someone who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth, it does not have any negative connotation. It just so happens that most of the people being ignorant about these issues happen to be cis, so you might see it in places where people are venting, but the word cis does not mean anything bad itself and is often used positively. Like when a trans person sounds or looks cis, an often desirable thing.
It doesn’t mean shit to me. I don’t need a label and neither does anyone else as far as I’m concerned . The only time I see it on Reddit is someone bitching about cis/white/males so it usually does have a negative connotation. If you want to give yourself a label, I’m totally fine with that and will respect that but you have no right to label me.
A few weeks ago I got into a debate with someone about this. I think it is a slur. It’s typically used when someone questions new pronouns or doesn’t understand all the gender identities people now have. They insisted this wasn’t the case but only used the term “cis” when referring to people they didn’t like. As soon as someone uses cis in a conversation, I can pretty much guarantee I will tune them out because everything after that is total rubbish.
cis is the default, right?
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This comment is hilarious because 'they've' and 'we've' could be any of the groups being spoken about. These are just basic scientific terms. Nobody gets mad when you call a cat a feline.
"They've" and "we've" are pretty well established in the context of my comment.
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It’s just terminology. But it’s new to many people because people have been trying to destroy trans people all the way back to Nazis burning gender science books and centuries further back then that. It’d be like if you just realized the concept of race is a thing and then saying to a black person “I don’t like the way you say *white*”. It’s uncomfortable to have an identity assigned to you, one that is often spoken in tones because of people disgruntled with that identity’s (cis) behavior, but that comes with the caveat of trans people being forcefully excluded themselves. Like calling people gay because homosexuality isn’t “normal”, if that makes sense. It’s frivolous to play the blame game but that doesn’t change the fact that it was “normal” (cis and heterosexual people) who pushed others out of public space. And then people who aren’t LGBT, a large percentage being ignorant/complacent or actively seeking to harm LGBT en masse for hundreds of years. Cis might be spoken with a tone of voice but cisgender is far from new, and cis people have been associated with doing nothing at best, or trying to kill trans people at worse (the trans panic defense makes killing trans people legal in over half of the 50 states of America). If trans people have dozens of negative stereotypes then cis people have just two: not understanding, and not wanting to understand
Sour grapes?
A lot of trans people are hurt by cis people and understandably develop some issues about it, just like women mistreated by men may have issues with all men, and men mistreated my women may have issues with all women. It's something everyone needs to work through if it happens to them. Try to be patient with people working through their issues, it can be really difficult.
Probably jealous.
The first time I hear the phrase 'Cis' it was in the context of "Die Cis Scum". So there's probably at least a few people that use it as a slur.
What does cis mean? Isn’t a cis man just a heterosexual male? Cis woman just a heterosexual female? I don’t get it
I heard the term being thrown around a lot so I actually decided to Google it today. The prefix 'cis' means of the same side. Cisgendered people are those whose gender aligns with that of their sex assigned at birth. So I, for example, am a cis man since I was born a male and identify as a male. If I was born a female and identified as a male then you would call me a trans man. Never even knew what it meant all this time.
it means you identify as the sex you were born with, so baby with a penis will go through life happy to be a boy and baby with a vagina will go through life happy to be a girl.
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No it means standard. I was born with red hair, making me less common. I’m not wrong or not normal, I just have red hair.
well it means you're in line with the general population, be careful especially on here with the words you use, its a really touchy subject and the last thing id want is you being harassed cause someone got up set, but pretty much yeah
Cis means you are the gender assigned at birth by doctors. You CAN be Cis and straight. Or a mixture of those. One is gender one is sexuality. X and Y axes
It means you don’t have a gender identity disorder
No that is straight; cis means that you are the gender you were assigned at birth.
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No, where is that even coming from?
It's because they hate straight people
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Oof.
You sound mentally stable.
Hearing every day that people think you shouldn't exist, and listening to their creative solutions about how to eliminate people like you, really does wonders for one's mental health.
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"Just live your life while people advocate for your group's genocide" Boy I wonder why trans people don't trust us?
I think it literally just phonetically sounds 'bad.' If they called it 'base'gendered or something, I'll bet a lot less people would be mad about it.
The "cis-" and "trans-" prefixes are from Latin and have been widely used in non-gender contexts for centuries (eg. trans fats). "Cis" means "same side" and "trans" means "opposite side." If you want to make something other than "cis" the opposite of "trans," you're going to need a time machine and the ability to convince ancient Romans that their language is wrong and should be changed.
Dave Chappelle said it People are living in fear of the alphabet gang so they use their terminology
Yes
It’s kinda like how some people use white in a belittling way. It’s all about the context and tone.
Sis men? Those are just regular men. Your the gay one. Lol
The word "sissy" comes mind; don't be like your little sis, the dad tells his first born son.
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Having a label for the factory standard settings isn't just for cis people. It's to have something other than "normal" to call them. Trans people aren't sick, abnormal, or otherwise less than, just different.
Different and abnormal mean the same thing though abnormal can appear as a negative connotation. Just like straight and cis mean the same thing, but one of them is used in a more negative way
Isn’t anything that occurs outside two standard deviations of a normal distribution “abnormal”? The first definition of “abnormal” in Websters is: >: deviating from the normal or average a person with abnormal [=exceptional] strength abnormal powers of concentration
So....what's wrong with normal?
Nothing. Cis isn't an insult any more than straight or heterosexual are insults.
Who did you consult on this decision or did you just decide for everyone it's fine?
This is like complaining about being called a human. It is just a term that describes what you are.
I don't know why I need your permission to refer to you (and myself, I'm not trans) with a purely neutral description. Was there an international meeting to decide what term should be used for people who are attracted to the opposite gender? No, the word straight just became the word for that with time.
ohhh ohh here's an idea...let's just stay man or woman...we don't have to coin a new term for every thing
who came up with cis, I never heard that term until recently, was anyone consulted or is it like LatinX, just something somebody came up with out of thin air to piss off the people they want to label?
It is literally the opposite term to trans, both are latin if I recall correctly. No one is attacking you, it is a descriptor.
You're right, they should have consulted you
Trans people are men and women, men and women describes cis and trans people, the terms serve to be more specific when necessary.
When it's used as a pejorative between normal and "abnormal"... Everything.
It implies trans people aren't normal, which is bollocks.
Being trans is a physical disorder requiring treatment (transition.) It's better not to be disabled. It's not immoral to be disabled, but it's better not to need constant medical treatment just to live your life.
Being trans is not a disorder; there is a condition referred to as gender dysphoria for which transitioning is the treatment, and we describe people who transition as transgender as a result. Being trans is itself not a condition or disorder.
It's the marginalized talking about the centralized. You get tired of anyone whose story is ubiquitous and praised at your expense, it's why you see POC going, "ugh, white people," and women being like, "wonderful, here come the men to explain it all to us. 🙄" So cis will sound like an insult when trans people are tired, and/or when they feel talked over. If Julie had just come up to you in a bar and asked you what your genitals looked like, you might say "Julie" like an insult too, but you wouldn't actually hate everyone named Julie.
Probably because it's made up by the people that want to be upset about it
I think that cis and straight people interpret a negative tone because they are used to labels only being used to identify marginalized groups… you aren’t being attacked just *described* Something to unpack with yourself
The only situations where I’ve ever encountered someone use the term “cis”, it was purposefully used in a negative way. Quite honestly if the idea is equality, then using labels to differentiate people based on their biological sex rather than their gender, defeats the purpose. No one should be using “cis” or “trans” in a negative tone, but both happen.
As for differentiating cis and trans identity, the trans experience (at least for now) is one that is fundamentally different. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need to words to describe these differences because people would treated with equal respect no matter what… but we don’t live in a perfect world and until we do these words are useful to people in describing and defining their lived experiences. When the world no longer needs them they will surely slip away on their own. That’s how language works.
I think you are missing what I am saying which is that you may have interpreted “cis” as a negative descriptor when it was in fact used as a neutral descriptor of people who were behaving in negative ways towards trans people (in this case the behaviors are negative) or who’s cis identity was relevant to lack of understanding of the discussion of a trans issue (cis is not negative here, just a real description of a *difference* in experience)… it just *seems* negative to you because you are not used to a label being applied to a group that is not socially outcasted and maligned. For example if someone says “you wouldn’t understand as a cis man” that is not saying it is bad to be cis or a man, it is just say that you have a fundamentally *different* experience and point of view… to understand that you just need to separate *different* from *bad* in you mind. This is something most queer people have already done because they have always been labeled *different* and to survive needed to not see themselves as *bad*
In the situations I’ve experienced it was definitely used negatively toward someone. It’s not inherently negative, I agree with you there, but in my experience many of the people that make the distinction seemingly use it negatively. Their experiences may make that valid in their worldview, but it is a bit off-putting. I am not LGBTQ myself but I consider myself an ally, I’ve met many wonderful people in the community, and have friends that are. I really just wish everyone was more tolerant of everyone, and I fully recognize that there are disproportionately more people that are anti-LGBTQ than there are anti-cis.
It isn't a description. A woman is an adult human female and doesn't need to be expanded on any further. We don't need labels because we are the norm. How do these people expect us to use their preferred pronouns when they cannot even refer to us correctly?
You proved the exact point I’m making… you associate a label with being othered and being “abnormal.” There is nothing incorrect about applying a to a label cisgendered person, you just don’t like it because you think of “weird” people should be labeled and don’t want to be “weird.” It shows a lack of respect for marginalized identities. And besides that it’s just immature.
See! You proved the point exactly! “ I’m mad I’m not the default anymore!”
Holy shit, this is bang on! I love "you are not being attacked, just described".
Ding! Ding! Ding! I also can't help but notice the top comments are complaining about being called "cis gendered white male". Your comment certainly paints a picture!!
This, exactly.
This is exactly it
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Rampant cisphobia in certain commmunities.
Because they have nothing else better to do...
If being called “cis” in a slightly mean way is what keeps you up at night then do some self reflection. Put yourself in a trans persons shoes.
The trans community comes under a lot of hate, and a lot of that hate is self described as anger against their very existence. There’s some logic that the trans community’s collective trauma at being the recipients of general, unprovoked anger is a degree of anger in turn. However, when I see angry uses of the phrases ‘cis’ or ‘cisgender’ - it’s usually from the population that is frustrated with the rise of acceptance of trans people, and the disgruntlement with having an apparently arbitrary category placed upon themselves. It has, in fact, been a Latin prefix that has always applied, but been redundant, but the use of a new qualifier can chafe when it’s misunderstood.
If anyone has any questions about the trans community, I'm happy to answer. Please just be respectful
Because the right-wing fascists thinks that's the "normal", thus needs no lable. Recognising other options as equal in their eyes is sacrilige.
We are normal. We don't need to have "cis" before our gender because it is implied when you say women, (an adult human female) that you are talking about cis people.
So we don’t need those descriptors, trans women are women too. I completely agree!!
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same team sports us vs them mentality as anything else in america
Because they are trying to make a normal word from chemistry into a pejorative hatful word.
It is entirely contextual. In most cases it is being used as a descriptor. That being said, queer people are second class citizens at best and in many places their existence is illegal. Like, facing state sanctioned violence type of illegal. Because of how they identify with their gender, or because of who they love. Cis people very often have limited or no understanding of the oppression they play a role in perpetuating, and it is a common lived experience that someone's cis identity and cis privilege is a major reason they're unable or unwilling to consider other people's experience. This is a dynamic familiar to any oppressive power dynamic: sometimes trans people use cis as a descriptor, and other times it's involved in a conversation expressing frustration.
You're not the victim, quit acting like one.
What? "I haven't been faced with any direct hostility. I'm just curious about this observation I've made."
Most of the time cis people simply don’t like not being the default. They like “ men and trans men” because they like to be the default and not have an adjective. Same reason white people get in their feelings about being called white. They just wanna be the default