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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

What is ‘cis privilege’?

334 replies

MissSusanSays · 24/10/2018 09:21

I’ve seen quite a few of the posters wo come on to make the pro-self id argument rage about ‘cis privilege’

Could one of them actually explain what it is? Because I struggle to see how women, who are oppressed by their sex and forced into gender norms, abused, paid less, over looked for promotions, given shoddy maternity care, suffer post natal depression in silence, suffer miscarriages, fight through the shame and difficulty on infertility, endometriosis, breast cancer, rape, sexual assault, menopause, hysterectomy, groping, belittling etc are privileged.

If someone who believes in ‘cis privilege’ can point out to me what privileged women have then I’d really, really like to know.

Or is it just another way to shame women into not talking about the tragic and terrifying things that happen to them because of the way their bodies function?

OP posts:
BakedBeans47 · 24/10/2018 10:39

I agree with you entirely. Absolute bullshit.

ProfessoressWoland · 24/10/2018 10:35

The concept of cis privilege doesn't even warrant serious scrutiny - unless you subscribe to the idea that women ('cis women') are a subgroup of a category called women.

ResistanceIsNecessary · 24/10/2018 10:35

It's a term which is used to shut women down.

I have MH problems. I have had MH problems for over 20 years now. I don't go round shouting at others saying that they have 'neurotypical privilege'.

It's a scientific term which has been co-opted and abused to the Nth degree. I would have had some sympathy with those using it genuinely, but since being told repeatedly that miscarriage, abortion and menstruation are all 'cis privilege' I'm afraid my well has run dry.

dinkydonky · 24/10/2018 10:30

Cis (and I really am not a fan of that term) women and men have the privelege of not having the emotional turmoil of questioning their gender identity, discrimination and bad treatment from society if they try to present in ways traditionally associated with the opposite sex.

The fact that women are disadvantaged compared to men has nothing to do with whether or not they have cis privelege. That sounds similar to arguing that women can't be disadvantaged because white women have it so much better in many ways than black men. Have a read about intersectionality.

I'm as gender critical as anyone and I think that 'cis privelege' is very much used as a tool to shut down women who raise valid concerns, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

MuseumofInnocence · 24/10/2018 10:29

I get annoyed with all the TRA stuff, but I think we should be consistent here. White privilege, male privilege are all examples where we recognise that if we are white, or male, our lives are on balance a little easier. If someone does have gender dysphoria, equally, all things being considered, that makes their life a little more difficult.

PositivelyPERF · 24/10/2018 10:26

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Bonions · 24/10/2018 10:23

The privilege is that we don’t have a mismatch of our gender and sex. Where that leaves you if like me you don’t think gender is anything other than a social construct, I don’t know.

VioletWillow · 24/10/2018 10:10

There is no such thing as 'cis' privilege. I loathe that word, I am a woman, a female. No need for further qualifiers. My opinion about this cis privilege is that from a view of a man, we are privileged - we get male attention (TW may not, or not get female attention either), we have things they don't have, periods, uteruses, etc; we are free to wear trousers, skirts, makeup, no makeup - from the outside looking in, being a woman looks better perhaps. Also, a man transitioning to a woman, will experience an appearance of a loss of privilege, women are treated worse. That case in the US of the transexual who now pays more for car insurance - cue massive uproar because it is trans discrimination. No, actually it is sex discrimination that he experienced. So when they have this idea of how good a woman gets it, and they don't get treated that way, that is how we are privileged and they are not.
That's my twopennyworth anyway.

Bezalelle · 24/10/2018 10:02

Your last sentence pretty much nails it.

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