Use of "cis"

[notwokeup]

What are your opinions on the use of cis? I have to say I hate it. It feels like an unnecessary prefix to me.

However, a young trans woman has just started at my work, and insists on referring to cis women (rarely cis men). Because of the work, I am loathe to say anything as I know that I would be in trouble. I have no problem using their preferred pronouns she/her, and she is a lovely person, although young (20) and quite naive. Yet I cringe every time she refers to women as cis.

I am not cisgender because I do not accept the concept of gender identity. I am female but my sex does not align with any gender identity. In the language that Stonewall uses, I believe that makes me non-binary.
I find the term CIS offensive.
That is what I would tell them.

Spot on CatandtheFiddle.
'Cis' is either short for 'cissexual', which everyone is, as humans can't change sex, or 'cisgender', which implies that you hold a gender identity which conforms to stereotypical expectations of gender.
So if we're even remotely gender non-conforming, or basically think gender identity is bullshit irrelevant, then we are not cis.
We are adult females, i.e, women.

Wondering why cis don’t bother eyesneverclosing

You like being a sub set of women ?

Well if cis woman means someone who identifies as a woman and was assigned female at birth then I suppose that's me. It's just a way of differentiating.

However

Trans women are perfectly happy

To say that woman who don't adhere to gender role ie be pretty / young sexy / compliant

Are not "real women"

Which is what men have always said - funny that

Burn the witches.

TERFS must DIAF.

The attitudes of penis people towards cunty people who will not submit, or are simply not young and prepared to perform "sexy lady", is exactly the same as it was in like the 17th century.

It's hate speech. Women do not need to be renamed.

Glad you're here eyesneverclosing. Please could you explain what 'identifies as a woman' means. Because I can't get my head around it.

Eyes most women on MN as a sample do not feel like women "inside" they feel like people.
When they feel like women is either due to biology or the way they are treated as read as female.

I have asked DH and he also feels like a person.

Gender is just not a part of most people's internal "how do I identify" makeups.

In fact most feminists have spent their lives fighting to be treated as people not as women

So where does that leave us.

I resent being "rebranded" to give context to my biological sex in relation to someone else's "identity". I am a woman; no other words are necessary to explain what that means. I will not consent to being labelled a cis woman or having my existence defined by gender. I'll respect preferred pronouns but only if that respect is reciprocated.

Tell her that you will respect her preferred term of address is she also respects yours. The fact that men are rarely referred to as ‘cis-men’ tells you all you need to know about the sexism running through this whole thing.

I identify as lots of things. Star trek geek for eg or "alternative music scene" person of the late 80s / early 90s.

I do not "identify" as female, it is what I am and the way I have been treated in my life as a girl / woman first rather than a person is why I am a feminist,

To say I am "cis" is highly, extraordinarily offensive. It negates EVERYTHING I am - girl, woman, person, feminist.

Glad you're here eyesneverclosing. Please could you explain what 'identifies as a woman' means. Because I can't get my head around it.

I'm sure this is a genuine statement. 😂

Anyway. For me, I feel no sense of unease being me. For someone I know who is a trans woman, she always did have a deep sense of unease. That has gone and she feels comfortable now that she is accepted as a woman by those who love her.

I'm sure you'll come back with the usual stuff. We could have the usual debate. As I've said before to others, we will never agree.

Trans women are perfectly happy

If only they ever were, we wouldn't be in the current situation we're in.

Is someone who believes they were born the wrong sex but can't (at this stage in evolution & advancement) truly change sex - or be recognised as and believed to be (by either sex) as the one they want to be .. ever going to be perfectly happy?

Even if they take hormones, have genital surgery, have breast and hip implants, use goodness knows what technology to simulate breast feeding, have facial cosmetic surgery, in future have a womb implant/transplant and whatever (unimaginable) interventions that are needed to hormonally and physiologically sustain a pregnancy, force everyone in the world to call them a woman, treat them like a woman and say there's no difference between them and a biological woman .. it seems like they'll have created a Frankenstein version of a woman whom people will (inwardly or not) still not see as a 'real' woman; and they'll still not be happy.

I think there are very few people who were born female who "identify" as women. Not many people, when they really think about it, feel like they can identify with their own subjugation. It is the identity language that is difficult and the fact that lots of female people who are called 'cis' by others do not identify with the gender of 'woman' because gender has been used to oppress them since they were born. To them the only way they can comfortably use the word woman is to refer to the fact of their gentials and resulting sex class (female) and to politically organise around the oppression which comes with this. Hence 'cis' does not make sense at all.

Anyway (!) I would absolutely not be ok with being referred to as a customer woman (or hearing others referred to as that) and would say I'd like how I identify respected just as she wants how she identified respected.

The special snowflake, me me me syndrome seems to be strong among some people like this.

• cis (autocorrect weirdness)

Cis is bullshit.

I am a woman, i was born a woman and will die a woman. No cis, no trans, no anything else.

If anyone refers to me as cis woman, i will laugh in their idiotic faces.

Eyes why are you pissing yourself laughing at the idea that women (cunty) might see themselves as PEOPLE rather than women?

Are you on the wind up.

" I feel no sense of unease being me"

That's nice.

You are aware that large numbers of children / teens go through a lot of unease in this regard

Hence teen culture / behaviour since always?

Can throw in eating disorders, trabalism, elevated MH issues etc if that helps?

For girls, add in the way men start looking at you as soon as your tits start to grow.

bottom line. Many many teens of both sexes have felt intense discomfort with who they are, for always prob.

Feeling "no sense of unease" is a lucky lucky state. Not the norm though.

It's just a way of differentiating.

No it isn’t. It’s a way of forcing women to adopt their beliefs and a means of control. Replace the word woman with the word black, imagine telling a black person they know will be referred to as cis black and that they’re privileged over a white person who feels black? It’s offensive af.

I feel no sense of unease being me

Congratulations. Other women do, trans people don’t have the monopoly on hardship or trauma.

You need to start insisting on referring to men as cis men. Make them ask about it.

Eyes why are you pissing yourself laughing at the idea that women (cunty) might see themselves as PEOPLE rather than women

I think that Hawkeye has no intention of trying to 'get their head around it. Ive seen their posts on here quite a lot so I don't feel the question was genuine. So my immediate thought was 😂. Hope that answers your query fully.

No it doesn't answer it at all TBH.

Irrespective of who posted what, there's a big question there you've not answered,
More than one.

I resent being "rebranded" to give context to my biological sex in relation to someone else's "identity". I am a woman; no other words are necessary to explain what that means. I will not consent to being labelled a cis woman or having my existence defined by gender. I'll respect preferred pronouns but only if that respect is reciprocated.

Turbo nailed it for me.

Personally I'd speak to HR.

I'd say that respect goes both ways and if someone want me to use their preferred pro-nouns then I in turn should not have to put up with prefixes I object to.

How well that will go down depends on how woke your HR dept is.

Feeling "no sense of unease" is a lucky lucky state. Not the norm though.

I mean with being a woman. I have obviously had times in my life where I had difficulties and felt unease about other things. I know only 2 people who felt unease with being either a male or female. Most people I know have felt unease with mental health issues, weight, body shape etc.