Why the MRM should reject terms like cis-gendered!

detpoid · 2013-01-21T18:24:57+00:00

The problem is that as I have pointed out above, gender and physiology are linked, even in people who are trans-gendered they are trans-gendered because they are physiologically different they did not choose to be trans-gendered, they just are. When someone says that someone is cis-gendered their saying more than their just a male bodied male or a female bodied female, their saying that gender is separate from physiology, that for instance I as a man have chosen to be masculine and that if I wanted to I could choose to be different.

You blatantly contradict yourself. "Cis" does not imply that gender is separate from physiology in the exact same way that "trans" doesn't. When someone is "cis" their gender identity matches their biological sex. They didn't choose to have that gender identity. In the exact same way, "trans" means their identity matches the opposite biological sex. They didn't choose to have that gender identity either.

I don’t want anyone to define me aside from myself, and I doubt that if you were to ask a bunch of trans people “do you like being defined by others?” that any of them would say yes.

So you don't like people calling you a male? Or straight? Or smart? Or any descriptor that you could think of? Because cis is just such a descriptor.

Cis-gendered is part of a system of gender categorization based upon the false assumption that gender is independent from physiological sex and is used to promote the idea that a man could be better if he just choose a different gender role. This is misandry like any other, it’s a way of subjugating men by sex and claiming that because they don’t choose a different gender they are even more evil than the would be had they not known better.

What? As i've already explained, the term does not imply that you can just choose your gender. It simply refers to what your gender identity IS in relation to your body. Nowhere is it implied that that identity can be chosen at will. And so this conclusion as with the rest of the post, is invalid.

The fact is, in trans spaces, when someone says "woman", you may not know if they are talking about a mtf transperson, or a biological female (trans people tend to refer to others by their gender identity). So "trans-woman" is used. If you take these two terms side by said you get the implication that trans-women aren't real women (whether you don't think they are, is not relevant for this explanation). Now, because the "woman" part is only being used to describe a person's gender identity, the trans/cis prefix comes in to describe whether that person's gender identity is in line with their sex. So if the "cis-woman" were ftm transgendered, for example, they would be called "trans-man". This language is just kind of necessary in trans spaces. But, the terms themselves are valid, whatever you think about why they came to be used. That was kind of a convoluted explanation but hopefully you get the idea.

Honestly I still don't understand what people's problem is with the term. It simply means "your gender identity matches your sex" or "you aren't transgender". It's pretty much the same kinda deal as saying you're straight. It does not imply you chose that identity, or anything like it.

jolly_mcfats · 2013-01-21T17:45:03+00:00

Your understanding of what it is to be transgendered does not correspond with my understanding. The existence of gender identity does not support the theory of gender as a social construct, it defies it. I have a friend that tried for years to ignore her gender identity, and ended up feeling that either she was going to commit suicide, or face it. This person was not a drama queen, and made a lot of sacrifices to come out and transition. It wasn't something that she opted into- it was a psychological necessity. If gender were a social construct, she would have much preferred to be cis-gendered, as she had a pretty sweet life that she really didn't want to upset.

I don't find the term "cis-gendered" any more insulting than the term "straight". They just happen to be terms that describe my sexual orientation and gender identity, and they aren't any more intrinsically insulting than the word "man".

fractal_shark · 2013-01-21T19:10:01+00:00

Why does everyone keep putting a hyphen in "cisgender"? I don't understand.

jollyrogerninja · 2013-01-21T17:48:42+00:00

While I don't like the term cis-gendered either, I think your argumentation is rather poor, and I don't understand the distinction you are making. You also could work on your grammar a little if you expect a lot of people to read this essay.

gayrebel · 2013-01-21T21:28:02+00:00

Op, I think it would do you a world of good to meet with somebody who is trans in real life that will talk with you. Most trans people I know are alienated by feminist, there family,there friends and society as a whole, there suicide rates are incredibly high. Idk I ignore feminist that want to bring up trans* issues because the majority of the time they do not care about them, they just want another weapon to use in there war against the "evil men". I can try to get one of my friends to do an AMA or that you could message.

Bobsutan · 2013-01-22T19:48:09+00:00

I think the term is silly. It's just an overzealous gender politics PC way of staying someone is straight.

detpoid · 2013-01-21T21:29:11+00:00

yes, no one likes to be labeled by others, so why are they labeling me “cis gender ed ” when im just a man being a man???

Words, labels, and constructions are very “Empowering” to the gender-feminist community, but if they don’t like being “labelled” then they should not “label” others with their own constructed terms.

giegerwasright · 2013-01-21T19:02:47+00:00

Meh. Trannies are obsessed with jargon and categorization. It makes them feel like they belong to a special club with magic "You can't do that!" powers. That's what the whole "cis" thing is about. They aren't sane. But they aren't shooting up movie theaters crazy either.

Once they learn that they have no more right to control the behavior or expression of others than they think others have, they'll be fine. But right now, they're too busy telling people what they can and can't say according to their obsessive categorization and labelling to be worth listening to.

Edit: I wonder if part of the reason that dudes want to be chicks is that they see that the grass actually is greener on that side and want a piece of that priviledge. Yes, I understand that becoming trannies subjects them to their own problems, but their fantasy is not to be seen as trannies but completely as chicks. And don't tell me they're not deluded or short sighted. They are willing to cut their dick and balls off. That gets you a crazy diagnosis in my book every time. Jesus. Talk about genital mutilation.

Title	Why the MRM should reject terms like cis-gendered!
Author	Chicago-JSO
Upvotes	0
Comments	51
Date	January 21, 2013 4:09 PM UTC (13 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/mensrights/comments/16zrsz/why-the-mrm-should-reject-terms-like-cis-gendered/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/why-the-mrm-should-reject-terms-like-cis-gendered.1604563 https://theredarchive.com/post/1604563

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