Cisgender

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Cisgender (IPA: [sɪs dʒɛn dɝ]) is an adjective neologism that means non-transgender. In other words, a cisgender woman is someone who was physiologically female at birth, raised as a girl, and who identifies as a woman. In contrast, a transgender woman is someone who was physiologically male at birth, raised as a boy, and who identifies as a woman. That is, it provides a name for a gender identity that society considers to match or be appropriate for the sex it perceives a person to be.^[1] The issue of cisgender and transgender is complicated by the fact that the sex of an infant at birth is not based on a simple dichotomy of "male" or "female", as people are also born intersex. Gender assignment and identification do not automatically match either end of the gender range, and thus do not apply to all people.

The word is used in many transgender-inclusive and aware communities to challenge the notion that cisgender is "normal," and instead reflects the view that there is a broad range of gender experience, rather than one "normal" one. Specifically, the term cisgender denaturalizes the dichotomy in which 'transgender' is marked while 'non-transgender' is the majority unmarked category.

1 History and etymology
2 Current usage
3 Understanding cisgender
4 See also
5 References
6 Notes

[edit] History and etymology

The first recorded Usenet post of cisgender was in the alt.transgendered usenet group in May of 1994 by Dana Leland Defosse. In April of 1996, Carl Buijs, a transsexual man from the Netherlands said in a usenet posting "As for the origin; I just made it up".

The origin of the term is logically based on the Latin prefixes, in which "cis" ("on the same side") is the opposite of "trans" ("on the opposite side"). These terms find use in a range of subjects, including Geometric isomerism in chemistry.

[edit] Current usage

Many (particularly trans-inclusive) communities use the term non-transsexual or non-trans, perhaps because the more scientific-sounding term "cisgendered" has not gained popularity or widespread usage in everyday English. Other groups consider it inappropriate to define any group by what they are not.^{[citation needed]}

Some people may prefer "cisgender" to "biological", "normal," "genetic", or "real" male or female because of the implications of those words. Using the term "biological female" or "genetic female" to describe cisgender women implies that transgender women are also not biologically female; since there is debate over whether transsexuality has a genetic or biological cause, some people may believe that transgender women are also biologically female. Transgender men also may find it offensive to describe cisgender men as "real men," since they consider themselves to be real men. In addition, the terms "biological" and "genetic" leave ambiguity about how to describe people with androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS). The word cisgender is rarely used outside trans-inclusive communities and thus, it is not often used to self-identify.

The potential implications of cisgender as a term to describe 'non-trans' people is that it lays the groundwork for a scenario where both trans women and cis women, or trans men and cis men, are equally valid in their identities and processes of becoming women or becoming men, respectively. This occurs through a process of cutting out any potential reference to 'real' woman or 'biological' man and by giving a name to what is otherwise a silent, invisible 'normal' man or 'normal' woman.

[edit] Understanding cisgender

The cisgendered/transgendered dichotomy can perhaps best be understood through analogous comparison with the heterosexual/homosexual dichotomy. 'Homosexual' - a term ascribed to the behaviour or identity of those who were a minority - preceded the advent of a term to describe the majority - 'heterosexual' - which until then was a taken for granted 'normal' with respect to sexual orientation/identity. In a similar fashion, transgender has been used for some time to describe the gender identity trajectory of those that are the minority. Before the advent of cisgender, there has not been a name that could apply to people who are not trans - other than their just being 'normal' men or women.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

Matthews, Donna Lynn. What Is Intergendered? October 1998, retrieved 24 November, 2005.^[2]
Transsexual Roadmap. Transgendered Glossary. 1996-2005, retrieved 24 November, 2005.
Gorton R, Buth J, and Spade D. Medical Therapy and Health Maintenance for Transgender Men: A Guide For Health Care Providers. Lyon-Martin Women's Health Services. San Francisco, CA. 2005. p (10,22) ISBN 0-9773250-0-8 (This full-text open-access book is free under the GNU Free Documentation License)^[3]
Green, Eli R. (2006). Debating Trans Inclusion in the Feminist Movement: A Trans-Positive Analysis, Journal of Lesbian Studies. Volume: 10 Issue: 1/2. pp. 231 - 248. ISSN 1089-4160 Article abstract.
Dean of Students Transgender FAQ. University of Texas at Austin. [1]
"From Metrosexual to the Uber-Complex: Multiple Identities of Gender and Sexuality" Intersections of Identity conference. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Paul Robeson Campus Center ^[4]
Fausto-Sterling, A. (2000). Sexing the Body. New York: Basic Books. ^[5]