11-14-2017, 12:25 PM
(11-14-2017, 11:20 AM)StLucieBengal Wrote: Well I typically don’t concern myself with worrying about offending someone over cousins but thank you for letting me know. As for someone’s father being one that is another matter. I steer clear of Parents, spouse, and children. All I can really tell you is that it’s not personal and even though it may seem so at times I have never attempted to attack anyone over this issue. I honestly just feel this is one of the most ridiculous issues of our time. If people want to live an odd life that’s on them, I don’t begrudge them for doing so, but I also don’t have to play along either. I think that is a fair social contract.
Honestly, for me it is just a matter of life experiences that have allowed me to know a bit more about this than a lot of people. My trans cousin only came out recently about it, but my knowledge and understanding is based more on my work and the people I know throughout the university at which I am employed including a psychology class in which I met two trans women that became good friends.
(11-14-2017, 11:21 AM)michaelsean Wrote: I have a serious question. Can I tell people I don't like being referred to as cis? It sounds weird. I mean who got to decide that for me?
I don't see it as a problem. I have zero doubt that there would be people that would want to argue this, because there are people that like to argue everything. I know people that would be considered by definition trans but don't like to be labeled as such (just call them a woman or a man) and that courtesy is often extended to them, so it should be no different for you. I will just say that the term is becoming more prevalent in academic literature on the subject and is more and more commonly accepted in the social sciences, so you will probably see it much more.
The term cisgender (or shortened to cis) is only about 20 years old, based on a chemistry term. Cis and trans are used when discussing molecules and refer to placement of atoms on certain sides, and since cis and trans are opposites in that regard, I think this is why cis got picked up in common usage to be opposite of trans when referring to gender and sex. That being said, there are critics of the term within the LGBT+ community because of the cis and trans dichotomy excluding the intersex community. But that is a whole other conversation.
