Your Zoomer relative used it to refer to you, Elon Musk deemed it a slur last year, and now you might be scratching your head, wondering, “What does ‘cis’ mean, and why are people calling me that?”
Short for cisgender, the term “cis” refers to people who identify solely with the sex they were assigned at birth. It is thought of as the “opposite” of transgender, which refers to people whose gender does not align with the one they were presumed to be at birth. Though it can often be used in conjunction with a term like “straight,” “cis” refers to gender, not sexuality, which means it is not mutually exclusive or interchangeable with “straight.”
Even though it’s just one of many terms that can describe someone’s relationship to gender, some conservative pundits have willfully misconstrued its meaning, insisting that it’s used derogatorily, all as part of their battle against trans rights.
But language matters. The term “cis” didn’t enter common parlance until recently because in the past — before trans people were as visible as they are now — being cisgender was viewed as the unspoken norm. Having a word like “cis” is important because without it, there is an implication that the experience of trans and nonbinary people is not “normal” and that being cisgender is. Ultimately, saying that someone is cis isn’t an insult; it’s a way to name privilege and describe their relationship to and history with gender.
For anyone who wants to be an ally and just learn more about what cisgender means — and what it means when someone calls you cis — read on for answers to a list of frequently asked questions: What does cisgender mean? Where does the term come from? What does “cishet” mean? Why do we need a term for that? Is “cis” a derogatory word? How do I know if someone is cis?
What does “cisgender” mean?
“Cis” (pronounced sis) is short for cisgender, meaning you identify with the gender you were presumed to be at birth. For example, a cisgender woman is someone who was assigned female at birth and continues to identify as a woman throughout her life. The same applies for cisgender men: if someone was assigned male at birth and he continues to identify as a man throughout his life, he is cis.
“Cis” itself doesn’t necessarily refer to a specific gender identity; rather, it describes an experience of and relationship to gender. For example, while “man” and “woman” are both gender identities, “cis” and “trans” indicate different experiences of those gender identities. For example, a trans man and a cis man are both men, but they likely have different experiences of how they came into manhood.
Where did the term “cisgender” come from?
In Latin, “cis” roughly translates to “on the same side as,” as opposed to “trans” which means “the opposite side of.” “Cis” and “trans” have both been used as prefixes, particularly in chemistry to describe the relationship between molecules in chemistry, referring to different atom placements.
It wasn’t until the early 1900s that German sexologist Ernst Burchard used “cisvestitismus” to refer to people who wore gender-normative clothing and “transvestitismus” to refer to people who cross-dressed, as Dr. Marquis Bey, a professor of African American Studies at Northwestern University, noted. This use of “cis” and “trans’ to speak about gender only developed further throughout the 20th century, as queer communities adopted this language to describe their experiences.
According to AHA Today (the American History Association’s blog), the term “cisgender” itself wasn’t coined until 1994, and was done so on Usenet, one of the early online hubs for trans community. The term’s popularity quickly spread through trans online spaces and worked its way in the analog world. In 2014, when trans media and representation had what Time Magazine called a “tipping point,” terms like “cis” and “nonbinary” began to enter the mainstream lexicon.
What does “cishet” mean?
“Cis” refers to gender experience whereas “het,” which is short for heterosexual, refers to sexuality. Not all cis people are het, as there are cisgender queer people. Not all het people are cis, as there are straight trans people. “Cishet” strictly refers to people who are both straight and cisgender.
Why do we need a term for that?
Words are important tools for describing the world around us and the different realities we all experience based on our identities. “Cisgender” is simply a word that allows people to describe their own experience of gender and, of course, it also has connotations of privilege and societal position. Particularly at a moment when trans youth are facing an onslaught of discriminatory legislation that targets their rights to healthcare and public existence, it's important to acknowledge the privilege cis people hold in not being targeted for their gender experience.
That doesn’t mean cisgender people can’t be oppressed through other marginalized identities they hold like race or class, and it doesn’t mean cis folks don’t suffer. Using “cis” is just a descriptor that can be important when having conversations about how we experience the world.
Someone called me a “cisgender male.” Is cis a derogatory term?
The short answer is “no.” Like we said earlier in the guide, “cis” is just a descriptor for people who identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. If someone is calling you a “cis guy,” it’s important to think about the context: Are they just naming this as a fact about you? Are they saying it to talk about a form of societal oppression you don’t experience (i.e. sexism, transphobia)? While it can be uncomfortable to think about privilege, it’s important to understand and sit with how you benefit from it. Like all words, “cis” can be a simple descriptor but it can also indicate positionality or privilege. But the idea that it is derogatory is false.
How do I know if someone is cisgender?
The short answer is you might not know until you learn the information one way or another. In other words, it’s not something you can “tell” or “presume.” It matters more to respect people’s gender identity by gendering them correctly and treating them with courtesy than it does to try to detect whether they’re cis or trans. Chances are, if you get to know a person, that information will reveal itself. Or, if it’s relevant to the conversation at hand, people may share that about themselves.
Asking if someone is cis or trans, particularly in a public setting, can create an uncomfortable situation for trans folks who might feel pressured to out themselves when they feel unsafe. When in doubt, just listen for context clues and be respectful.
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