Autism survey and cisgender

[PerverseConverse]

I've just done an autism survey via autistic not weird and for the first time ever (apart from on here which is the only place I heard of it) have been asked if I'm cisgender or rather identify as cisgender. The other choices were LGBT+, neurodivergent or disabled. It's really pissed me off. Unreasonably so maybe, but I don't want to be identified as cisgender. The whole word sets my teeth on edge. I am a woman! An adult female human as I read on here. It's made me do cross that I didn't have the option of putting what I do actually identify as: female. Where did this whole cis thing come from? (I'm new to this board please be gentle! )

This is probably the most recent thread discussing it: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3323848-Could-we-reclaim-cis

I strongly recommend you have a look through this amazing FAQ thread, too - it should cover a lot of the questions you have on the whole subject: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3335962-Frequently-Asked-Questions-FAQs-I-have-noticed-here

You'll definitely find mention of autism in relation to young girls suddenly identifying as trans (Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria, autistic girls may be particularly vulnerable) - there are issues of social contagion in play. I'm sure some of our posters will help you find links if that's something you want to look more closely at.

Can you send responses to them? I admit, mine would be something like aaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhh....... ..... aaaaarrrrggghhhh.

These things used to be about making sure surveys / jobs etc were equitably balanced. Now they seem to be about woke points and forcing us into boxes. I've started going for the 'prefer not to say' option.

I'm curious: if I'm "No" to LGBT+ and "No" to cisgender, then what am I?

Not cis (cos fuck that) and not trans, soooo... gender critical human?

Clearly Heterosexual needs to be added to the Identity Quiltbag of sexual orientations, kinks, and identities, since they are the only ones left out at this point.

Ask them why they are discriminating against the heterosexuals?

Thanks for your replies. I've loitered on this board for a while but never post as I feel out of my depth as everyone seems to know so much! Feminism is fairly new to me from a personal point of view and I'm realising more and more how male dominated the world is although I never felt it affect me particularly until my stbexh started banging on about how my role as a breastfeeding mother working part time (22hrs) was in no way equal to his very impressive 37.5 hours. But I digress. I will read the links above and come back tomorrow.

I've just nipped back on to the survey page to point this out and realised there is a section for gender as male, female, non-binary/other.

Apparently the question wasn't asking about my sexuality but my gender identity

There's no such thing as cisgender.

Under gender ideology, the body does not have a sex. Therefore there is nothing for the 'identity' to be 'cis' to or 'trans' from.

If even for a second I did except that cis was a thing, does this mean that one can’t be either L, G or B at the same time? Or does being any of those things make you trans now? What the fucking fuck? So if I were to click LGBT because I’m a lesbian, and female, which by the way isn’t a gender, and a lesbian is a female by definition, would that mean I’m a transwoman? Which I can’t be because I’m an actual woman, unless they mean I’ve transitioned from a girl, which I have.

It's wound me up so much. I find it very offensive. The survey had already given an option in a previous section for male/female/non-binary/other so seems unnecessary I know that gender identity is an issue in autism but I imagine it's just the modern route to go if you feel different to others. Like the goth/rock chicks back in my day when trans was unheard of (in my school and experience anyway). There seems to be a lot of thinking that if you don't fit in you must be trans. I didn't fit in,still don't, and was a rock chick. If someone had suggested I might be trans I'd have assumed they were batshit.

It's really unnecessary and it seems to be getting more prevalent.

I recently signed up to a health and fitness site and it asked me whether I 'identified as' a man or a woman. It's useful for the site to know whether someone is a man or a woman to give information about ideal body fat percentage, what weights to start lifting with as a beginner, and so on. Biology, not identity.

I was also on a fandom site with profiles for characters and every character was listed as 'cisgendered.' For absolutely no reason - there aren't even any trans characters!

I'm also autistic and would tick 'no' for both LGBT and 'cisgendered.' The only good thing is that it actually allows you to do so! I'm fairly sure that if I were twenty years younger I'd be calling myself 'non-binary' because I obviously don't fit either feminine or masculine gender roles. The difference being that as a child I'd have assumed that if I were being asked the question, it must mean that most people do fit in a gender box and I'm different somehow. Now I know that it's just being a human being with a personality that isn't a complete stereotype.

I worry a lot about autistic people being encouraged to think they're trans when really they just ignore social cues about what's considered appropriate for a man or woman.

I left the whole section blank. I've commented on their actual page and just got a load of comments back that insinuated I'm a bit thick.

just got a load of comments back that insinuated I'm a bit thick.

Irritating, ain't it!

Explain that you don't identify with the gender stereotypes expected of women and therefore you can't be cis.

Then let them tell you that cis means not trans. And you can then refuse to be defined as 'not a man who identifies as a woman'. Why should you, a woman, be defined in terms of a man?

That you are an entity in your own right and do not depend on transwomen on order to be defined. And it's a great pity that transwomen can't say the same.

Several women are wanting to know why I find cis offensive. Some bright spark has replied that there's always someone who's offended by something. These are the kind of attitudes that has helped create this big clusterfuck.

well you can identify as whatever you feel like, irrespective of what you are,

so feel free to press those buttons more or less at random

After all, some trans people are identifying as cis now as they have always been women.

Renders equalities stats meaningless but hey ho. Thats' the entire point I think (pesky minoroities / oppressed groups being seen by we all know who as getting "special treatement" and why can't I? oh - that's how - now I can!).

I tried to fill this in for my son and I was so angry at the cis gender question I abandoned the whole thing. I'm glad there's a thread about this. They are really pushing the trans and autism thing and it is terrifying for those of us with vulnerable children. I will not label myself cisgender or ciswoman ever.

@camomileteadrinker the more people who comment on it on their Facebook page the more chance we have of getting through to them. I've now unliked the page as I can't deal with that kind of blind acceptance of something offensive.

I filled this survey out yesterday and also felt offended at being forced to choose cisgender, so I chose none. Glad to see others felt the same. No one in the world wants to be told what they are against their wishes. I am not cisgender, I am a woman. I am female. That's it.

I understand there is a higher prevalence of transgender people in the autism community and so they are trying to use inclusive language but it's still not on.

I will go to the fb page to see the comments and add my own.

Couldn't resist it, just posted on the FB thread:

"It's odd that you asked about 'gender', but not about sex - I'm a biological female with no experience whatsoever of 'gender identity', and have only experienced gender as an oppressive, socially constructed set of expectations based on 'femininity', so had to leave that question blank. It's because I've had life-long experience of 'gender' as an oppressive construct that I also had to tick that I'm not 'cis-gender' - while my embodied reality is 100% biologically female, I never have & never will identify with the gendered (ie 'feminine') expectations/oppression that are associated with being born female, so 'cis', 'trans' 'non-binary' are all equally irrelevant - my biological sex is the only relevant factor, yet your survey failed to capture that most basic information about me..."

@DuddlePluck I can't see your comment on their page. I hope they've not deleted it It's perfect by the way

No just checked & it's still there - only comment that's been made is by another autistic woman (a close friend of mine irl who's pretty much GC, though not generally vocal about it) - she's just added 'yep'

Don't know you're FB name, but scrolled down a bit & 'liked' some comments that may have been yours...?

"cisgender. The other choices were LGBT+, neurodivergent or disabled."

What if you are gay and and don't believe in gender trash..yes I agree how stupid this cisgender option is, and offensive, but even the question doesn't make sense.

These people are mental. Really mental. I was talking to one twitter just now. I am at a loss at how these people think.

I can see the likes but no comments so might be due to privacy settings. Glad you can see them on there though so hopefully others can too