# "Don't call me 'cisgender'!" **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 30, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903 "2015-04-30T15:23:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/1 "2015-04-30T15:23:36Z")
Spinning off from [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=755333) so as not to derail. > [@Should a man who self-identifies as a woman be allowed to compete in Female Olympic categories?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-a-man-who-self-identifies-as-a-woman-be-allowed-to-compete-in-female-olympic-categories/718500/157): > > once I learned the term “cisgender,” it became _vastly_ easier to write about trans issues with tying myself in knots avoiding loaded language like “normal” or “natural” or (god forbid) “real” women. What about it makes you think it’s making things more difficult? In my experience, the assumption that people who complain about “cis-” want to avoid those terms is unwarranted. If it isn’t, what do people object to about it? Aesthetics? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/2 "2015-04-30T15:32:25Z")
If we have _transgender_ and _cisgender_, do we also have _metagender_? Is this what happens when structural chemists get involved in gender discussions? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/3 "2015-04-30T15:35:48Z")
At the risk of losing points on my conservative cred card, I agree with **Miller** ’s quoted sentiment. The term “real” to describe a cisgendered person invites the inference that the gender of a compared individual is somehow not real. “Natural” and “normal” suffer similar flaws. Although I am curious about something… to me, this result is in line with a language prescriptivist viewpoint. Occasionally, in the prescriptivist vs. descriptivist wars, the (D) side will be heard to complain, “Who cares? You know what I meant!” What’s the response to such a complaint? As a certified §, I feel it’s enough to say that rules is rules. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Joker_and_the_Thief)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/4 "2015-04-30T15:36:42Z")
Yes, it’s a pretty ugly word, because the the cis– prefix is obscure and the medical condition known as a cyst is revolting, widely-known and a near homophone. For better or worse, the word is intrinsically associated with something considered bad. More importantly, the word was essentially created by the transsexual community to describe people who weren’t part of it. A group should have the authority to determine what they want to be called. I understand that cisgender serves a valuable purpose as a word, and I’ve probably used it a couple times myself. But this is English, the language seemingly without rules, and we can surely come up with a less-loaded term. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/5 "2015-04-30T15:40:55Z")
> [@The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](#): > > Yes, it’s a pretty ugly word, because the the cis– prefix is obscure and the medical condition known as a cyst is revolting, widely-known and a near homophone. For better or worse, the word is intrinsically associated with something considered bad. Really? That’s funny, but “cysts” never come to mind when I think of my sisters or going to the symphony. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/6 "2015-04-30T15:44:11Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > At the risk of losing points on my conservative cred card, I agree with **Miller** ’s quoted sentiment. The term “real” to describe a cisgendered person invites the inference that the gender of a compared individual is somehow not real. > > “Natural” and “normal” suffer similar flaws. > > Although I am curious about something… to me, this result is in line with a language prescriptivist viewpoint. > > Occasionally, in the prescriptivist vs. descriptivist wars, the (D) side will be heard to complain, “Who cares? You know what I meant!” > > What’s the response to such a complaint? As a certified (P), I feel it’s enough to say that rules is rules. Most people don’t know what “cisgendered” means. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Joker_and_the_Thief)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/7 "2015-04-30T15:44:55Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Really? That’s funny, but “cysts” never come to mind when I think of my sisters or going to the symphony. To each his own. There’s evidently no connection between the words for you. But that’s what I think of when I hear the word, and that’s why I don’t like it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/8 "2015-04-30T15:45:23Z")
They’ll learn, over time(response to **John Mace** ). ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/9 "2015-04-30T15:52:19Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Really? That’s funny, but “cysts” never come to mind when I think of my sisters or going to the symphony. That’s a systemic failure of your imagination. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/10 "2015-04-30T15:53:44Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Most people don’t know what “cisgendered” means. Yes, that’s true – but then again, most people would be comfortable calling a cisgendered person “normal,” without pausing to consider the inaccurate implications of the word. For that matter, most people don’t use the subjunctive mood correctly, and most people believe that it’s acceptable to describe someone’s head as literally exploding when some surprising event occurred. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/11 "2015-04-30T15:54:56Z")
Only someone sympathetic to the trans cause is going to refer to himself as “cisgendered”. And not all. I’m sympathetic, and I hate the term. It just doesn’t resonate with me. We need something less clinical like “straight”. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/12 "2015-04-30T15:55:57Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Yes, that’s true – but then again, most people would be comfortable calling a cisgendered person “normal,” without pausing to consider the inaccurate implications of the word. For that matter, most people don’t use the subjunctive mood correctly, and most people believe that it’s acceptable to describe someone’s head as literally exploding when some surprising event occurred. But only one of those examples, cisgendered, causes confusion in communication. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/13 "2015-04-30T15:56:53Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > That’s a systemic failure of your imagination. Don’t be such a cissy. Regards, Chodan ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/14 "2015-04-30T15:57:40Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Only someone sympathetic to the trans cause is going to refer to himself as “cisgendered”. And not all. I’m sympathetic, and I hate the term. It just doesn’t resonate with me. We need something less clinical like “straight”. Which is certainly a neutral enough term, because if something isn’t “straight”, it is “crooked” or “bent”. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/15 "2015-04-30T15:59:27Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Which is certainly a neutral enough term, because if something isn’t “straight”, it is “crooked” or “bent”. Are there gays who object to the use of “straight”? If there are, could they all fit into a phone booth? Are there even any phone booths for them to fit into anymore? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/16 "2015-04-30T16:00:30Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > But only one of those examples, cisgendered, causes confusion in communication. Only if you wish to stay “confused” once you’ve learned what it means. People learn new words every day. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Joker_and_the_Thief)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/17 "2015-04-30T16:03:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Which is certainly a neutral enough term, because if something isn’t “straight”, it is “crooked” or “bent”. Or curvy, or sinuous, or any one of many other terms with positive connotations. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/18 "2015-04-30T16:06:30Z")
I’m totally OK with cisgendered. Like Miller, I was relieved. I hate using the word “normal” and there really isn’t a good word. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/19 "2015-04-30T16:08:48Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Only if you wish to stay “confused” once you’ve learned what it means. People learn new words every day. Well, some people don’t really have any interest in the subject. I would not use the term simply because I know most people don’t understand it. But, I probably wouldn’t have more than one or two opportunities in a year when I would find it useful anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903/20 "2015-04-30T16:12:52Z")
“Oh, pangender…” “Oh, cisgender…” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-me-cisgender/718903.md?page=2)