Cisgender
Cisgender is a gender modality for individuals that identify as the gender they were assigned at birth, the Latin prefix cis- meaning "on the same side" as in the cis–trans distinction in chemistry.[1]
Cissexual is a related term that is based off of transsexual.[2] Cissexual can refer to someone who has not changed their bodies through medical interventions (such as hormones and/or surgeries) and does not seek to medically change their body.
This distinction can be useful as it's possible to be transgender and cissexual, meaning one identifies as a gender other than their assigned gender, but does not wish to medically transition.
History
The term cisgender was coined by Carl Buijs in 1995.[3]
Related Terms
| Label | Relationship | Description | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cisn't | Opposite | An umbrella term for anyone that does not identify as cisgender. | Cisn't encompasses all identities outside of cisgender. |
| Cissexual | Counterpart | An individual whose current and desired sex characteristics match their original sex at birth. | Cissex refers to bodily anatomy and hormones rather than gender identity. |
| Transgender | Opposite | An individual that identifies as a gender differing to one's assigned gender at birth. | Cisgender individuals identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. |
Subgenders
| Label | Suffix | Flag | Description | Creator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cisman / cisboy | -man / -boy |  [4]  [5]
|
A man whose gender aligns with their gender assignment. | Idrisney29, stardusted-queerness |
| Ciswoman / cisgirl | -woman / -girl |  [4]  [5]
|
A woman whose gender aligns with their gender assignment. | Idrisney29, stardusted-queerness |
Flags and Symbols
Three cisgender flags, including the three band greyscale flag, was created by Tumblr user pride-flags-for-cishets, and published on the 20th of August, 2016.[6]
An alternate black and white cisgender flag was created by OMeera, on the 9th of June, 2021.[7]
Two alternate flags were also created by ThunderBrine, on the 17th of November, 2021. One cisgender flag is depicted using gray, and well as azure, and rose on direct opposite ends of the flag symbolizing the isolation of gender. This was designed to represent that the touching of colors could be interpreted as gender questioning, or the midway point between identifying as cisgender and transitioning into transgender. The second flag depicts the same colors but also includes the cisgender symbols.[8]
An alternate cisboy and cisgirl flag were created by stardusted-queerness on the 16th of July, 2023. The creator created the alternatives without the inclusion of grey, as xe felt that the color grey in the context of gender modality represented unimportance, or stereotypical normality - of which appears to designate cisgender as a bland or unimportant identity.[5]
Cisgender (pride-flags-for-cishets)
Cisgender (pride-flags-for-cishets)
Cisgender (OMeera)
Cisgender Symbols (ThunderBrine)
Cisgender Symbolless (ThunderBrine)
Resources
- ↑ "cis". Wiktionary, 21 Apr, 2024, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cis#Etymology_1.
- ↑ FlagsforCisHets. "Cissexual pride flag [1]". DeviantArt, 8 Aug. 2017, https://web.archive.org/web/20221017072041/https://www.deviantart.com/flagsforcishets/art/Cissexual-pride-flag-1-697503988.
- ↑ Matthews, Donna L.. "Definitions". Cydathria.com, May. 1999, https://web.archive.org/web/20221003232228/http://cydathria.com/ms_donna/tg_def.html#cisgender.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Idrisney29. "Cisgender". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 4 Sep, 2021, https://lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Cisgender.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 stardusted-queerness. "I made this flags for cis-boy and cis-girl". Tumblr, 16 Jul, 2023, https://www.tumblr.com/stardusted-queerness/722954454796812288/i-made-this-flags-for-cis-boy-and-cis-girl-after.
- ↑ FlagsforCisHets. "Cisgender pride flag [2]". DeviantArt, 4 Aug. 2016, https://web.archive.org/web/20221019013148/https://www.deviantart.com/flagsforcishets/art/Cisgender-pride-flag-2-625974644.
- ↑ OMeera. "Cisgender". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 9 Jun, 2021, https://lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Cisgender.
- ↑ ThunderBrine. "Cisgender". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 18 Nov, 2021, https://lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Cisgender.
