Simply and clearly: what exactly is a cis person and who is trans? And why is it important that we understand both terms correctly?
Simply, cis is the opposite of trans
Most people who are declared female at birth actually identify as female for the rest of their lives. Most of those who get wrapped in a blue baby blanket in the maternity ward feel consistent with their identity as a man. We can call these people cis or cisgender. The Latin prefix cis means "on the same side."
Then there are the people among us whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. They may have female anatomy, but they feel like a man. Or they understand gender not as two opposite poles of male-female, but as a scale from the male pole to the female pole, and they themselves are somewhere on it. These people are not cis because they are not "on the same page". They are referred to as trans or transgender.
You're probably familiar with the term trans, you may be hearing cis for the first time. Simply put, cis is the opposite of trans.
Cis and straight are not the same thing
Cisgender is a matter of gender identity, that is, who a person feels they are. It does not describe sexual orientation, i.e. who one is attracted to. However, the two concepts can work very well together. A cisgender heterosexual man identifies with the male gender on his birth certificate while falling in love with or having sex with women. To avoid two long words and to show that we are adept at the terms, we can use the compound cishet in this man's case.
Can cis be gay? Of course he can. He is a man who identifies as a man and falls in love or has sex with men. Just as a trans person can have a heterosexual or homosexual orientation.
But there's still a bit of a catch. There are some people who don't fit into either the cis or trans box. We are indeed conditioned to see the world in a binary way, always in two opposing categories. But the reality is much more complicated, there are more than two possibilities. Those who don't fit into cis or trans can be non-binary people. Some enbies are happy with the trans label, but others don't want to fit into predetermined boxes.
Why isn't it enough to say "normal"?
If you're familiar with the term trans and cis is new to you, the question probably comes to mind: Why introduce a new term? Can't we just distinguish between a man and a trans man?
Of course, that would imply that male is the right thing, the normal thing. And trans man is an aberration, something gone wrong. It would be similar to saying very awkwardly normal man and trans man - I'm sure you can immediately sense the problem with this example. When we put the cis and trans options side by side, they both stand on the same level, they are equivalent. We are showing that we are counting on both options.
Show respect for trans people
But using the word cis is more than a description of gender identity. It's letting them know that you know trans people exist and respect them. It's a term that impresses the speaker as being both informed and concerned about others. By including the word cis in your vocabulary, you contribute to making those around you feel welcome and accepted. Ally (ally, supporter) of LGBT+ people definitely uses this term.
And finally, one example of using cis in practice. Actress Halle Berry recently announced on Instagram that she is considering accepting a film role as a transgender character. In doing so, she used the wrong pronouns and confused a trans man and a trans woman. One comment from an angry fan was, "Trans people are really fed up with cis actors accepting roles that many trans people would give anything to play!" Halle Berry apologized and did not accept the role.
Zdroj: Giphy
