AIBU to say that I am a woman, not a 'non-man' 'non-trans woman' or 'cis women'

[R0wantrees]

I was born female.

I started having periods aged 11.

I started IVF in my late 30s and was diagnosed with gyny cancer.

As a result of the surgery (total hysterectomy) which no doubt saved my life, I have no uterus, cervix or ovaries and am childless but am fortunate to be well. My Gyny cancer was unusually caught at an early stage.

I know these to be uniquely female experiences and as an adult human female, I am a woman.

However, some activists with the Green Party have sought to use 'non-men' as a descriptor.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/feminists-mock-green-party-young-womens-invite-to-non-men-a6987061.html

There has been assertions on Mumsnet and elsewhere to use the descriptor 'non-trans woman'
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3289890-great-piece-by-academic-kathleen-stock-mentions-mn

and not using the descriptor 'cis woman' is deemed by some to be transphobic.

Sometimes women have to say 'No!'
I think words matter
I think sex matters

I know what cis means and I still reject it. I don't need a qualifier to the type of woman I am, because I am a woman and that's all the descriptor I need. A trans woman is a trans woman and that's all she needs.

Actually it means something very specific in stereochemistry or a type of genetic promoter/control element situated in a certain way in relation to the gene it controls.

It IS offensive to describe me, a woman, because it defines the term ‘woman’ as ‘not this thing.’ So it redefines and appropriated the word ‘woman’ and regulates natal women to some sort of subhuman sub class. It’s actually fairly similar to ‘non men’ in that if you strip down what woman and transwoman actually means... well you get my drift.

It’s an unpleasant word. I still didn’t want it banned because idgaf what someone calls me on an Internet forum and I’m fairly immune to tantrums and silliness and rage.

Nobody, by the way ‘gets a body’ at birth. There are no angels decanting wee souls into bodies and occasionally getting it wrong through tiredness or poor QC on the production line.

When you call me a cis-woman, you imply I am a sub-set of woman. I am not, I am woman.

But anyway, It's the non-men term that's really boiling my piss today. Are my ova non-sperm? The semantic and mental gymnastics that are being so intricately constructed in order to undermine women's identity (and by extension, our rights as people) is the stuff of dystopian fiction.

here’s nothing weird about Cis, it literally just means ‘not trans’. People are so ignorant.

Nope. Firstly why should anybody be described as 'not trans'? When there is a perfectly good word to describe them.

Secondly, identifying with the skin in which you are born, means you identify with the gender ascribed to your sex.

Many, many women do not. This does not make them trans.

Gender is a set of externally imposed stereotypes and expectations, where those ascribed to women are invariably detrimental to them. And those ascribed to men are not.

Imagining that gender is anything other than that, is very unanalytical thinking. Even official trans groups describe gender as societal expectations.

Ask yourself what gender is, specifically? How would you describe it, identify it, verify it?

You will quickly conclude that it is a set of stereotypes.

That is why the word cis, which asserts that you agree with those stereotypes, is offensive.

@TheParisofPeople

nothing weird about Cis, it literally just means ‘not trans’. People are so ignorant.

😂

Oh the irony.

TheParisofPeople

The only sensible sentence in your post is, “People are so ignorant”

People blindly accept fashions and trends and are ignorant of the consequences of hasty, often well meant, decisions.

Women and men have different health needs, particularly in an A&E setting. Who wants to see time critical treatment delayed, perhaps fatally, because people have tied themselves up in semantic knots about identity instead of cracking on with treating the male or female casualty?

I am a woman. I do not have a gender identity, therefore I cannot be 'cis'. Saying that I must be cis or trans is like saying that I must be either Christian or Jewish (or your other religion of choice) after I've told you that I am an atheist.

It is not comparable to saying 'children and autistic children' either, as someone upthread suggested. That's offensive. Autistic children are children. Men who believe they are feminine-gendered are not women.

Why dont they just go the whole hog and just call us "Wombs" that's all women amount to these days.

Men,
Transwomen,

Wombs are the bottom of the barrel.

Anyone calls me cis, wont like the response in return. I'm a woman, not even a masculine or feminine woman. Just a woman.

Also, why do women need to be re-labelled. We've been women for thousands of years.

"nothing weird about Cis, it literally just means ‘not trans’. People are so ignorant."

I'd rather you didn't define me via something I'm not, thanks. Just 'woman' is fine.

As for 'ignorant', I don't know why you'd assume that, unless you have popped your head in round the door for the first time. There's no 'ignorance' from the many well-informed, clear-thinking, logical women here.

On the other hand, with words being turned on their head nowadays, perhaps that's what 'ignorant' means these days.

Why on earth are we defining people by the very thing that they are NOT?

I am not non-trans.
Just as my nationality is not non-Togolese.
And my footwear today is not non-wellies.

But the good thing is that people are finally seeing this for what it is. A load of old toot.

" here’s nothing weird about Cis, it literally just means ‘not trans’. People are so ignorant."

why should women be redefined because a load of over privileged white men want to put on frocks?

Agreed.

I'll be buggered if I'm going to be defined as 'not a man who identifies as a woman'.

For fuck's sake. It's so ludicrous as to be utterly shocking that there's even a person on the planet who doesn't get it.

@Datun

For fuck's sake. It's so ludicrous as to be utterly shocking that there's even a person on the planet who doesn't get it.

Well there's one right in this thread, claiming the rest of us are ignorant twats 😂

Juells

I know. I think what's galling is that there are plenty of people who do think it's an ignorant viewpoint. Because they are blindly accepting without analysing.

"nothing weird about Cis, it literally just means ‘not trans’."

What word should I be using to clarify that I am not a bunny rabbit? How about a useful descriptor for people who aren't a table lamp?

I. Hate the word “cis” I don’t identify as female I am female!!!!

It's even worse when you consider autogynephilia. And those men who have it and enjoy the 'forced feminisation' aspect and identify as trans.

Calling me cis is forcing me to accept restrictive/damaging stereotypes, whilst fetishising the concept of women who are forced to accept restrictive/damaging stereotypes.

It's a complete mindfuck.

It's even worse when you consider autogynephilia. And those men who have it and enjoy the 'forced feminisation' aspect and identify as trans.

I think they're the ones who are really causing the problem. Not true trans women.

Yes no question about it - trans women are men, not women. Woman has a vagina, man has a penis. Simple.

Seriously our rights and identity is being eroded left, right and centre just to keep the man happy

This thread has given me so much hope. It is so bloody brilliant to hear so many strong and feisty female voices saying 'NO!' to this utter, utter bullshit.

@starcrossedseahorse I agree.

This is why men are jealous of how amazing women are and want to join our club

Did you know that women fart less than men?

Fuck me. Every day is a school day on MN.

I mean I think I knew that but just assumed I was bring a sexist...

Here's a <a class="break-all" href="https://www-womenshealthmag-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.womenshealthmag.com/health/amp19966457/farting-facts/?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQECAE4AQ%3D%3D#referrer=www.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.womenshealthmag.com%2Fhealth%2Fa19966457%2Ffarting-facts%2F" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farting link for anyone who's interested. We are the less farty sex.

Oh, and the word "cis" has I think been banned by MNHQ in an attempt to seem even handed. I should point out that the general consensus on the FWR board was that we didn't want any words banned. We believe our arguments stand by themselves. When transactivist types enter into debate it's nearly always best to let even GF/MRA type posts stand so that their arguments - and the counter arguments - are up there for any reader to see.

So instead of being non-men, we could be called less-farty-men. That makes just as much sense. :)