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

[Reasonable Atheist]

I think it is a dumb pointless term that exists to keep insecure people from having feels about being strange.
The word is pointless, what is so bad about someone different from you being called "normal". The whole concept of avoiding "othering" people seems like coddling to the extreme. What exactly is.so bad about being strange?

Maybe im not in the loop, and am missing something about this.

 

[ThreeName]

Buckets of apathy. I don't really "feel" about words like this. The word has a meaning. The only thing I should be "feeling" is towards its usage situation by situation, which is a totally different question.

And, frankly, seeing the constant parade of cis people getting all offended over the term is downright embarrassing. I expressed in another one of these threads my distaste for people who are not in a majority category of people getting all offended for being called "not normal" because they literally are not normal by definition and that offense/insult fits the context, not the word, and the same thing goes here.

"Oh but I hear on tumblr people use it as an insult" well are we on tumblr? Is this person actively trying to insult you? No? It's a purely descriptive word which, in the majority of contexts, is not designed to offend? Then fucking deal with it. Ugh. The about of straight cis people whinging over this word certainly destroys the stereotype that it's only super-emotion trans/gay/etc. people that are "easily offended".

 

[Silvanus]

Maybe im not in the loop, and am missing something about this.

The power of language, and the stigmatising effect it can have.

"Abnormal" has negative connotations when it's applied to people; that's obvious. Receiving insults based on your inherent characteristics can be emotionally harmful, stigmatising, and alienating; that's also pretty obvious.

 

[kris40k]

You can't really call people "normal". You know that saying: "I've never met a normal person in my life"? Yeah.

You know that saying: "can't see the forest for the trees"? Yeah.

It is sensible to observe and realize similarities and outliers of situations.

 

[ThreeName]

What a perfect illustration of the limits of the world. "A normal police vehicle is black and blue"... in which country? When? Which vehicle?

Without qualifying "Normal" endlessly, it's just your way of saying, "The fire trucks I see every day, are red."

You're unreasonably distorting the meaning of the word "normal" by attempting to imply that we all use it as an absolute, universal truth term.

Normal is by definition relative and malleable. The fact that it can change does not invalidate what is normal at any one time. What ever is the majority is normal. "Normal" does not need to be constantly qualified because correct usage in context tells you all that you need to know. "A normal police vehicle is black and blue" would clearly apply to the current police vehicles used in the speaker's locale. To ask them to qualify it is needless.

You can't really call people "normal". You know that saying: "I've never met a normal person in my life"? Yeah.

Difference from the mean comes in degrees, and you could arbitrarily say that anyone +/-1 standard deviation away from the mean in any aspect is abnormal. Again, normal is contextual; albinos are not normal in terms of physicality but an individual albino may be completely normal personality-wise. A gay/trans person is abnormal in a sexuality/gender sense (being part of significant minority of people) but look completely normal by the standards of society at that time.

 

[omega 616]

I'll stick to not trans haha

Call yourself what you like, I think the amount of sexual identitys is overwhelming and ultimately pointless.

Remember that big thing about Facebook having like 50 odd selections? What's the point of all them if nobody knows what they mean?

Male, female is easy everybody knows what that is. Trans, people get but don't accept. Then you start going off saying things like cisgender and people have no clue what you're on about.

To me, if you got boobs and a vagina, you're a woman ... penis means you're a guy. What you where before any operation is irrelevant. You have boobs and a penis, you're at a half way house, no offence of course.

Just no point splitting hairs trying to be a special snowflake or pedantically accurate about what you are.

 

[SmallHatLogan]

In regards to people advocating "normal", I just think about how awkward it would sound, say, in the context of race.

"See those two guys talking over there?"
"Who?"
"The black guy and the normal guy."

Or even sexuality.

"Are you gay or normal?"

Just doesn't sound quite right to me.

I'll stick to not trans haha
Remember that big thing about Facebook having like 50 odd selections? What's the point of all them if nobody knows what they mean?

That was actually where I first heard the term cis and I had no idea what it was supposed to mean until I looked it up.

 

[freaper]

If you'd allow me to add one extra option I would add "ironic", considering the pigeon holing of non-queer gendered people is exactly what those "queer gendered" people want to get rid of, meanwhile it's that exact same group that has to put everyone in boxes for whatever reason.

On a side note; OP you seem to occupy yourself a lot with what other people think of, presumably, your gender/sexuality/whatever. Does it matter? Maybe don't pay attention to what other, inconsequential, people think about certain aspects of your life? Obviously I don't know you, so you could easily just toss these two cents in the next beggar's hat, but I've found that I'm a lot less nervous when I stop reading these kinds of threads.

 

[ThreeName]

If "Normal" is relative and malleable, and it is... to the point of being individual... then it's a meaningless shit-term. It's the language of the lazy, or the intentionally obscure. I don't have a ton of sympathy for that.

It's not "Warping" language to actually hold it to account, it's just shitting on one particular way of abusing language.

...what? Could you qualify that please? "Malleable to the point of being individual" is the only meaningless term I can see. I honestly can't work out what you're saying here.

Normal means majority. What is the problem here?

 

[ThreeName]

The majority of what? By your logic unless you're Asian you're abnormal. My point is that "Normal" just means whatever you want it to mean... whatever your view of "the majority" is. In the '50's the view was a white mother and father with 2 kids, but that didn't exactly lead to anything we'd call "Normalcy".

It's like "Extra Crispy"... it sounds like a lot, but it's bullshit... marketing for bigots.

On the contrary, I would argue that you yourself are causing the obfuscation of the term by intentionally trying not to understand usage within context.

Could you explain why the 50's view of normal was invalid at the time?

 

[ThreeName]

You're not arguing that, just claiming it... arguing would be actually presenting... an argument. As for obfuscation... you're arguing that "Cis" is confusing? Again, I'd say that it's confusing to people who didn't pay attention in school, and frankly most of those people will never hear it anyway.

As to the 50's thing... no... go watch Mad Men if you need a refresher on the reality behind the myth. Or listen to 'Mother's Little Helper', or read almost any book on the period.

Ah, so you're going to put words into my mouth and make ludicrous claims about me before presenting a TV show and a Rolling Stones song as evidence for... what, exactly? You've failed to address anything to do with the discussion at hand.

 

[Michel Henzel]

A term that tumblr crazies seem to love to throw around in a derogatory way. Never even heard of it until someone called me cis-scum, among other weird term, and I had to look them up. It has little meaning outside of select circles imo, and probably even less meaning outside of the US.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

When it comes right down to it, to actually understand what being transgender is, you'd have to experience it, and it's not something I'd ever want to wish on someone. It's not a "pick from these" situation to my mind, it's more "this is how I identify myself, and this is what I want to project to the world." I hope that helps.

Ok, I have a question on this. Why do you feel like you have to "project to the world" rather than just being you and letting the world think whatever it wants to think?

This is such a good question it actually forced me to answer it rather than read the rest of the page and the next's back log that I've missed. It's in part trans pride, learning to actually be proud of something countless people, even perfect strangers, have told me to be ashamed of. Also being visible in on way, or another, with various trans pride symbols I have, actually sparks discussion with random strangers, which usually helps me dispel negative ideas people tend to have about trans people. Unfortunately a shocking number of the world thinks that for one reason, or another that being something other than cisgender justifies abuse, being visible and proud helps me change that little by little.

On a side note; OP you seem to occupy yourself a lot with what other people think of, presumably, your gender/sexuality/whatever. Does it matter? Maybe don't pay attention to what other, inconsequential, people think about certain aspects of your life? Obviously I don't know you, so you could easily just toss these two cents in the next beggar's hat, but I've found that I'm a lot less nervous when I stop reading these kinds of threads.

It's not so much I care so much about what people think about me personally in those regards, though it's a factor, but it's also a factor that I want society to have a better view of, and more understanding for transgender people. I like discussing these things, it's interesting to hear personal thoughts on the matter, especially when someone accepting has a unique opinion on the subject. It's why I get offended by things that can be exclusionary to trans, or anti-trans for example, not as much for myself, but as apart of a whole group of people that just got slighted.

 

[OldNewNewOld]

Well, I wish I could pick more than 1 option because they aren't mutually exclusive.
For starters, the term is starting to become insulting since that's how it's used 99% of the times when you see it. A change would be needed.
But then, I also believe it's a rather unnecessary term. Why do we need it? Yeah, I understand the cis part is also used in chemisty if I recall correctly and it's basically the opposite of trans, but do we really need it? Lets not pretend that the "cis" gender isn't the "default" gender. That doesn't mean that transgender people are somehow "less" valid or anything. But it is the default state. That's how most people are. It's like how people assume that you're straight. It's because they are most likely right. It's kinda a default state. So gender is enough.

 

[FirstNameLastName]

Lots of people offended over a completely innocuous word used to describe some quality about them and want it replaced with something else? Did I take a wrong turn somewhere and end up at tumblr? I thought it was only the SJWs who got offended over simple words.

captcha: get over it.
Well I'm glad the captcha agrees.

 

[zumbledum]

irrelevant to self defeating. nothing wrong with normal/abnormal , i have abnormal intelligence and sexual preferences .

just because a few people dont understand what a word means and so take offence at it isn't a good argument to make other terms up that no one else has even heard of

 

[Reasonable Atheist]

So im noticing that alot of the pro-cisgender terminology arguments here, are based on the idea that there is no such thing as context. Anyway, im male and i do not see the need for a specific term to denote that im not trans. Asinine, do i also need a term to denote that im not bipolar? That im not a furry?

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

So im noticing that alot of the pro-cisgender terminology arguments here, are based on the idea that there is no such thing as context. Anyway, im male and i do not see the need for a specific term to denote that im not trans. Asinine, do i also need a term to denote that im not bipolar? That im not a furry?

Well if you put it that way, I'll put it this way: I'm transgender and when that comes up it's useful to have a term for people who have their gender identity matching the sex they were assigned at birth. Cisgender is a contextual word, and what's funny is that from what I can tell most who misuse it as an insult are cisgender them selves.

 

[FirstNameLastName]

So im noticing that alot of the pro-cisgender terminology arguments here, are based on the idea that there is no such thing as context. Anyway, im male and i do not see the need for a specific term to denote that im not trans. Asinine, do i also need a term to denote that im not bipolar? That im not a furry?

If there was a need for a term to denote either of those things then I'm sure one would have been invented already, and if a need arises in the future, you are more than welcome to invent one.

Honestly, if you would rather refer to cisgender people as normal or not-trans then I don't see anything standing in your way. Does the existence of the word "cisgender" require all other words of similar meaning to suddenly vanish? Last time I checked, that's not how language works.

Honestly, I'm not seeing why people seem to be so offended by the mere existence of the word. It only really applies to discussions about transgender topics, so it's not like it's hard to ignore. How does it really effect your life to know that someone somewhere on the internet knows you as cisgender?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I like "straight" better.

But that puts gay people in a peculiar situation. Sentences like "I think straight people have problems understanding trans issues" would imply that gay people have special insight into the subject and they are our bros and part of our secret club. Or worse, it would imply that straight people are ignorant of trans issues because they are straight.

I'm not sure I understand or see the problem, I - together with most people, apparently - just think it's an unnecessary term.