Is Cisgender a slur?
Hello everyone. To start, there will not be a Queer Friendly Nonprofit next week. I am going to take a few weeks off during the summer to recharge. Next week is my birthday so along with some small festivities, we will be going away to New Hampshire for the weekend! And then to Provincetown for a great family week together.
If you are a social worker and around on 20 July, I will be doing a class for the National Association of Social Workers called “How Social Workers Can Create a Queer Friendly Nonprofit”. It is a 1 CEU class and you can sign up here. I am excited to expand on what I have been talking about in this newsletter and have discussions with other social workers about their concerns, thoughts, and misunderstandings.
And now, for today’s topic:
Cisgender: Is it a slur?
A couple of weeks ago on twitter, there was a comment about cisgender being a slur. This is something that comes up every so often so I want to nip it in the bud. It isn’t a slur. Cisgender just means that the person identifies with the gender which they were assigned at birth. This is different from transgender, where you identify with a gender that you were not assigned with at birth, or nonbinary, where you do not identify within the binary gender system. These are just a few of the terms which can be used for someone’s gender. There are many cultural terms for gender as well; for example, in Judaism there are between six and nine genders.
Why is this important?
When one argues that cisgender, or cis, is a slur, the question is what are they actually saying? There are a few reasons why some people have been arguing that cis is a slur:
For some people, it is a way to argue that cisgender and transgender are just terms that are part of “gender ideology” and, therefore, not legitimate identities. It’s a way to delegitimize transgender individuals and communities.
By defining someone as cisgender, it forces people to think about their identity. When you are a minority, you are aware that you are different and are often forced to think about your identity, especially when it is brought up, sometimes by other people who just make offhand comments about you being a minority. But you are always aware. When we define people as cisgender, we are forcing them to consider their own gender identity, and that makes people uncomfortable when they are not used to it.
It’s a way for cisgender people to make the discussion on gender identity and expression about them and not the rights of transgender and nonbinary individuals. Instead, its an attempt to flip the script and make it seem like cisgender people are the ones being attacked and discriminated against. The reality is that there are almost 500 anti-LGBTQ bills being tracked by the ACLU currently. The LGBTQIA+ community, and especially the trans community, is under attack. Changing the focus to the cisgender community is a way to ignore the real damage being done to the LGBTQIA+ community.
So this is a quick primer on why cisgender is not only a slur, it is also disingenuous to make this argument.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. I am happy to create posts based on your needs. Have a great couple of weeks!