On June 21, 2023, billionaire Elon Musk, head of the social network Twitter, announced that the word ” cisgender » (and its abbreviated version « Are you there “) may soon join the content list ” hateful » censored by the platform. Why does Elon Musk want to ban its use? What does this word mean and where does it come from? Lighting.
What does the word cisgender mean?
Little Robert gives the following definition: Relating to a person whose gender identity matches the sex assigned to them at birth “. The prefix cis comes from Latin and means “on the same side”as opposed to “trans-“ which implies ” the idea of change, of crossing “, second Larousse.
Where does this term come from?
According to our colleagues from Publicationthe word cisgender was popularized on online forums in the mid-1990s.
The origin of the word is however debated. Some attribute it to German sexologist Volkmar Sigusch, who allegedly employed it in an academic research paper as early as 1991. His invention is, however, more often attributed to Carl Buijs, a Dutch trans man, who allegedly wondered in 1995 ” How come there’s no name for people who aren’t transgender? » (‘ how come there is no name for people who are not transgender? in French) and would later propose the term cisgender.
The word entered the dictionary Merriam Webster in the United States in 2016, in the company of ‘Mx’ (civilization title that does not specify the gender, unlike Mr. or Mrs.) and “transphobia” » as mentioned Slate. In France, it took a few more years for this term to come into force Roberteven if the word appears since 2013 on the French version of the Wikipedia site.
Why is the word cisgender important?
As sums it up very well Slateuse the word “cisgender” it allows us to show the plurality of gender identities and to remember that being cis does not mean being the reference or the norm, with respect to which the rest is anomaly:
” [C’est] a way to make non-trans people aware that there are other identities, that they are not the ‘reference’, and that there are other ways of conceiving one’s sexual identity […] Using ‘trans’ without contrasting it with another term seems to say that the common, the universal, the legitimate lies in the binary of genders, that ‘masculine versus feminine’ is the norm, rejecting the abnormal, the marginal, even the monstrous, those who do not fit this standard. »
Slate, the word “cisgender” entered the US dictionary, a beautiful symbol
Why does Elon Musk want to ban this cisgender word from the social network Twitter?
On June 20, a netizen complained that he was called cis by ” trans activists “. ” An account that harasses another account will receive, at a minimum, temporary suspensions. The words “cis” or “cisgender” are considered slurs on this platform then Elon Musk replied. He therefore believes that the word cis is an insult, and says that those who use it will expose themselves to the risk of having their account suspended. Despite the threats, cis and cisgender have not yet incorporated the platform’s moderation policies, which however include a gender identity component. Does a barking dog not bite?
Like our colleagues from the Parisiantwo days earlier, Elon Musk” promised that Twitter would abide by European law in the fight against disinformation and online hate. But “we will no longer be monarchists than the king” and we will overcome the “legal provisions” in terms of censorship and freedom of expression, she nuanced “. The billionaire is not a contradiction.
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
