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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Good article about 'sex' (totally worksafe, don't panic)

37 replies

solidgoldbrass · 03/03/2012 18:07

It's this one.

OP posts:
sonicrainboom · 03/03/2012 18:21

I def agree with the article but is it really necessary to write "cis" all the time, it's weird and annoying to read.

maybenow · 04/03/2012 14:21

what does cis mean Blush?

FrothyDragon · 04/03/2012 14:23

Cis = not trans, IIRC.

Will read this later. Thanks for the link, SGB

ReclaimingMyFuckingLife · 04/03/2012 17:53

Good article, thanks.

AliceHurled · 04/03/2012 18:27

Useful article re sex, but it sidesteps all the politics

BeriBlue · 04/03/2012 19:12

At least it questions intercourse as standard. That's something there need to be a lot more of, to counteract all the "only a penis inside something is true sex" propaganda.

Dworkin · 04/03/2012 20:48

I would also question the PIV as the default for sex but I think this article goes about it in the wrong way.

I hate the term cis. It's shortcut for cissie and is derogatory imho.

BeriBlue · 04/03/2012 20:56

I don't like it either. It seems it's some "in" term for certain queer/feminist circles to use. Why is it so important to point out that you're talking about non-trans all the time - trans people are an incredibly small minority group, right? Why invent a specific term for everyone else Hmm

Dworkin · 04/03/2012 21:05

I know. Trans people have changed sex. Either male to female or female to male. So why point out the difference?

solidgoldbrass · 04/03/2012 21:41

Cis isn't a derogatory term. It's a useful one for articles about sex, gender and sexual behaviour that include everyone.

OP posts:
Dworkin · 04/03/2012 22:03

Why use 'dikipedia'?

How many gender's are there then? If there are more than two then definitely gender is a social construct and at the bottom of the pile is the female gender.

Dworkin · 04/03/2012 22:03

Sorry posted too quickly. I think all genders are social constructs.

TeiTetua · 04/03/2012 22:38

The term "cis" comes from the Latin. The Romans recognised "Transalpine Gaul" on the north side of the Alps, and "Cisalpine Gaul" on the south side, in northern Italy. So if someone feels their body and psyche are mismatched, they are "trans"-sexual, and they need to cross over (maybe). Someone whose body and psyche match is "cis"-sexual, and is already on the right side. That's the origin. Don't make stuff up.

Dworkin · 05/03/2012 08:04

There's no such thing as changing sex, so transsexual is not a word that should be used. Transgender is fine. And cissie is a word that is used in online forums. That article mentions Julia Serango, who still has her penis and is proud of it.

There are people (a small minority) who are born with both male and female genitalia. A genetic test confirms their sex now, though there are a few who have xxy or xyy.

CaptainWentworth · 05/03/2012 08:15

Interesting article. Cis is definitely Latin by the way- it's used to describe chemical bonds. In a trans bond, the atoms/ groups are attached on opposite sides of a carbon-carbons bonds, while in cis bonds the atoms are on the same side of the C-C bond. It is kind if vaguely irritating to see it used in a non chemistry sense!

ImproperlyAcquainted · 05/03/2012 08:18

Cis is a widely used scientific term, nothing to do with cissie. Its used, for example,for cis-isomerism as opposed to trans-isomerism. I use it all the day through and molecules aren't sissy.

StewieGriffinsMom · 05/03/2012 10:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

StewieGriffinsMom · 05/03/2012 10:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

solidgoldbrass · 05/03/2012 15:06

Ok, can we leave the transphobia out of it for the moment, as the rest of the article is, I think, interesting and useful.

OP posts:
Dworkin · 05/03/2012 15:19

How is discussing 'cis' being transphobic? I don't fear transpeople.

BeriBlue · 05/03/2012 15:36

The article is good, but the usage of "cis" is alienating me and others, it seems.

msrisotto · 05/03/2012 17:19

I don't like the article much I must admit. I can't quite put my finger on it but it's probably as someone said earlier - that it side steps all political issues. And I object to the suggestion that it is heteronormative that fisting is seen as extreme. I mean really?

TeiTetua · 05/03/2012 18:49

It's an article about sex, pure and simple, and not politics at all. If you think that normal sex is problematic enough without getting into the less common variations, you might well come away thinking the article ignores too much.

The reference to fisting occurs in "A trend we tend to see in film classification and porn classification is that non-normative kinds of sex are seen as more dirty. Things like fisting, strap-ons, some kinky stuff - they're 'extreme.' And they also tend to be kinds of sex that queer people have more. So: queer sex is 'extreme', it’s 'niche'..."

How should we respond when we hear about some kind of sexual activity that we don't find personally relevant? "I hope they don't do it in the streets and frighten the horses" and then turn the page, I'd say.

msrisotto · 05/03/2012 19:03

Not all queer sex is 'extreme' or different or whatever. Fisting and "kinky stuff" is still extreme though.

I agree that current conceptualisations of 'proper sex' are heteronormative and sexist but it is problematic to use porn and film classification as some kind of arbiter of public perceptions of sex and what is normal sexual behaviour.

Dworkin · 05/03/2012 19:10

But the personal is the political is it not?

Fisting is a pornified, objectification, misogynistic trait. It perpetrates women as holes. Who gets the satisfaction from this. I would say that fisting is 95% described in porn as hetero. And normal.

Read Dworkin's "Pornography: Men possessing Women."