Can you explain to me what a cis woman is? Am I one?

[WaitrosePigeon]

Sorry, this must sound stupid. I’m confused as to what cis woman means. I was born female. I’m just a woman aren’t I?

Just for balance, since the OP asked:

Cis a is prefix that can be used when it's helpful to communication, to distinguish between a person assigned female at birth who identifies as female and a person who was assigned male at birth who identifies as female.

To many people, it's a useful piece of language for clarity, as cis woman is not likely to be mistaken for a group that includes trans women.

As you can see from the above comments, some people, including many GC feminists, consider it a slur and so mnhq prefer that it not be used on the boards.

I've read here that there are some trans radical activists who insist that's all natal women are referred to as cis women at all times. I don't know for sure, and it's not something I've ever seen.

In my experience it's a useful term in some circumstances, and I personally do not find it offensive at all. I think the nearest equivalent used here is natal. Sometimes you see woman born as woman or man born as man, but they are a bit more cumbersome. The media seem to use a mix of cis and natal depending on their audience, but I would expect that to change if it gains ground in being regarded as a pejorative term or slur.

There's a common misapprehension here that it is never used to describe men, but that's not the case at all. I think possibly that impression arises here because most of the discourse is around women and trans women, rather than men and trans men.

I have two questions.

1. Is "cis" an acronym? is it short for anything specific?

1. How do you pronounce it? I don't recall ever hearing it said aloud. I read it as "sis".

Cis woman seems a lot like a step mum calling a mum who is the resident parent a bio mum. It makes it look like there are two equal types of mum - bio and step.
You're a woman.

All the above. Transactists will claim two reasons why you are cis. The first is because you're not trans and it's to differentiate.

But most people object to being defined by something they are not. I'm sure men do not want to be defined as 'not a woman who thinks they're a man'.

The second reason is if your 'gender' aligns with your sex.

This only makes sense because their definition of gender means an innate sense of your sex that does not relate to your biology. So if your innate sense and your biology are the same, you are cis.

Of course, what determines your sex IS your biology. Not your attitude to your biology.

Feminists' definition of gender is a set of societally imposed expectations and stereotypes. So there is no way they want to align with it. Frankly, most people don't align with it anyway.

Interestingly every single official trans organisation will also say that gender is a set of expectations. Because there is nothing to support the idea that it is an innate sense.

The hidden agenda is that transwomen and cis women are both subsets of 'women'.

With the goal being that people end up talking about women and cis women.

You can verify this by asking to not be called cis, and see how you are ignored, told you don't understand it, and you need to suck it up.

Hence most women find it very offensive.

Ciswoman means a woman. Cisman means a man.

Transwoman means a man who believes himself to be a woman
Transman means a woman who believes herself to be a man

I know I am a woman. No one assigned it. They observed it.

If people were allowed to be honest, rather than trans and cis, we'd have male and female women. Men would still be men though.

Just for clarity (I think it's pretty obvious) I would never refer to myself as a cis anything . I accept people's rights to call me a cis - something, but I will judge them accordingly

I've never heard of a cis man though. Surely that should be the term for a common or garden betesticled personage who says they are male these days?

Andylion

Pronounced with a soft c, so "siss"

Origin is from chemistry apparently, though I suspect the chemists got it from some previous usage regathering than inventing it.

The rationale for usage in the trans/cis context is along similar lines to homosexual/heterosexual, that it's a helpful distinguishing term for clarity. There is also a parallel that when the term heterosexual came into usage there was strong resistance along similar lines, that hetero was "normal" and therefore did not need a distinguishing name.

Cis woman are women who have been brainwashed.

I find this suggestion that objecting to "cis" is in the same league as being homophobic to be deeply unpleasant. It's another attempt to shame women into shutting up.

Assassinated

Yes

I've read here that there are some trans radical activists who insist that's all natal women are referred to as cis women at all times. I don't know for sure, and it's not something I've ever seen.

Really? It's very common.

I find this suggestion that objecting to "cis" is in the same league as being homophobic to be deeply unpleasant. It's another attempt to shame women into shutting up.

Yep.

This is interesting. So if someone is born with enough female anatomy to be considered female, she is a 'cis' woman; but now there is an additional element that sounds to me like being 'femme' in lesbian culture or being a 'girly girl'. So if you are born with the female anatomy but are not especially feminine in your choice of clothes, hairstyle, body language, you are also called 'cis'?

Why is the same term being used for two things?

There is a difference between being born female and being culturally feminine.

Cis is bollocks made up by men who hate women.

I don’t think the origin is chemistry, is it? It was used to describe Gaul during the Roman Empire - Transalpine and Cisalpine Gaul (Gaul being split by the Alps). That’s the only use of cis I’d ever heard of before all this nonsense.

There's no such thing. There are women. And there are Men (and intersex individuals who are often 'used' rather cruelly in this (no)debate). Then there are Men who believe they should be a woman - transwomen, and women who believe they should be a man - transmen.

SuperDandy

Cis a is prefix that can be used when it's helpful to communication, to distinguish between a person assigned female at birth who identifies as female and a person who was assigned male at birth who identifies as female.

That's not a clarification. It's a thought that came out of your head. Posters think lots of things and sometimes they get it wrong. When they do almost all other posters will say they have got it wrong. Yet still posters like you Dandy persist. Even when it's plainly obvious, like the nose on your face, that you are wrong.

I’m a woman. I reject the term ‘cis’.

I doubt that Boko Haram would get it wrong when identifying females. Misogynist men never do.

placemats I am genuinely interested and open-minded - please can you explain in what way superdandy's definition is wrong?

I reject it also. And yet on twitter I have been informed that I am not 'allowed' to reject it as 'Cis is what you are'.