Cisgender Information & Cisgender Links at HealthHaven.com

Cisgender (pronounced /ˈsɪsdʒɛndər/) is an adjective used in the context of gender issues and counselling to refer to a class of gender identities formed by a match between an individual's gender identity and the behavior or role considered appropriate for one's sex.^[1] Cisgender is a neologism that means "someone who is comfortable in the gender they were assigned at birth." according to Calpernia Addams.^[2] "Cisgender" is used to contrast "transgender" on the gender spectrum.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Language

The word has its origin in the Latin-derived prefix cis, meaning "on the same side" as in the cis-trans distinction in chemistry. In this case, "cis" refers to the alignment of gender identity with assigned gender.

[edit] Internet use

The word cisgender has been used on the internet since at least 1994, when it appeared in the alt.transgendered usenet group in a post by Dana Leland Defosse.^[3] Defosse does not define the term and seems to assume that readers are already familiar with it. It may also have been independently coined a year later.^{[citation needed]} According to Donna Lynn Matthews, the charter maintainer of the alt.support.crossdressing usenet group, the word was coined in 1995 by Carl Buijs, a transsexual man from the Netherlands.^[4] In April 1996, Buijs said in a usenet posting, "As for the origin, I just made it up. I just kept running into the problem of what to call non-trans people in various discussions, and one day it just hit me: non-trans equals cis. Therefore, cisgendered."^[5]

[edit] Academic use

The term has more recently been used in scholarly publications, such as a 2006 article in the Journal of Lesbian Studies^[6] and Julia Serano's 2007 book Whipping Girl.^[7] Serano also uses the related terms cissexual, which she defines as "people who are not transsexual and who have only ever experienced their subconscious and physical sexes as being aligned" (p. 12), and cissexism, "which is the belief that transsexuals' identified genders are inferior to, or less authentic than, those of cissexuals."^[8]

[edit] Notes

^ Crethar, H. C. & Vargas, L. A. (2007). Multicultural intricacies in professional counseling. In J. Gregoire & C. Jungers (Eds.), The counselor’s companion: What every beginning counselor needs to know. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. ISBN 0805856846. p.61.
^ Addams, Calpernia. What is 'cisgender'?
^ Dana Leland Defosse (1994-05-26). "Transgender Research". Posted on alt.transgendered newsgroup. http://groups.google.com/group/alt.transgendered/browse_thread/thread/69c04e35666a9a1b/69ebde0bf2af8dc6?lnk=st&q=cisgendered+dana+defosse&rnum=1&hl=en#69ebde0bf2af8dc6. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
^ Donna Lynn Matthews (May 1999). "Definitions". Donna's Hideout. http://cydathria.com/ms_donna/tg_def.html. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
^ Carl Buijs (1996-04-16). "A new perspective on an old topic". Posted on soc.support.transgendered newsgroup. http://groups.google.com/group/soc.support.transgendered/msg/184850df15e48963?hl=en. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
^ Green, Eli R. (2006). "Debating Trans Inclusion in the Feminist Movement: A Trans-Positive Analysis", Journal of Lesbian Studies. Volume: 10 Issue: 1/2. pp. 231 - 248. ISSN 1089-4160
^ Serano, Julia (2007), Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity, Seal Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-58005-154-5, ISBN 1-58005-154-5
^ Serano (2007) also defines cisgender as synonymous with "non-transgender" and cissexual with "non-transsexual". (p. 33)

[edit] References

Transsexual Roadmap Transgendered Glossary. 1996-2005, retrieved 24 November, 2005.
Gorton R, Buth J, and Spade D. Medical Therapy and Health Maintenance for Transgender Men: A Guide For Health Care Providers Lyon-Martin Women's Health Services. San Francisco, CA. 2005. p (10,22) ISBN 0-9773250-0-8
Green, Eli R. (2006). Debating Trans Inclusion in the Feminist Movement: A Trans-Positive Analysis, Journal of Lesbian Studies. Volume: 10 Issue: 1/2. pp. 231 – 248. ISSN 1089-4160 Article abstract.
Dean of Students Transgender FAQ. University of Texas at Austin.
From Metrosexual to the Uber-Complex: Multiple Identities of Gender and Sexuality Intersections of Identity conference. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Paul Robeson Campus Center
Fausto-Sterling, A. (2000). Sexing the Body New York: Basic Books.

[edit] See also

[0] Crethar, H. C. & Vargas, L. A. (2007). Multicultural intricacies in professional counseling. In J. Gregoire & C. Jungers (Eds.), The counselor’s companion: What every beginning counselor needs to know. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. ISBN 0805856846. p.61.

[1] Addams, Calpernia. What is 'cisgender'?

[2] Dana Leland Defosse (1994-05-26). "Transgender Research". Posted on alt.transgendered newsgroup. http://groups.google.com/group/alt.transgendered/browse_thread/thread/69c04e35666a9a1b/69ebde0bf2af8dc6?lnk=st&q=cisgendered+dana+defosse&rnum=1&hl=en#69ebde0bf2af8dc6. Retrieved 2007-12-22.

[3] Donna Lynn Matthews (May 1999). "Definitions". Donna's Hideout. http://cydathria.com/ms_donna/tg_def.html. Retrieved 2007-12-22.

[4] Carl Buijs (1996-04-16). "A new perspective on an old topic". Posted on soc.support.transgendered newsgroup. http://groups.google.com/group/soc.support.transgendered/msg/184850df15e48963?hl=en. Retrieved 2007-12-22.

[5] Green, Eli R. (2006). "Debating Trans Inclusion in the Feminist Movement: A Trans-Positive Analysis", Journal of Lesbian Studies. Volume: 10 Issue: 1/2. pp. 231 - 248. ISSN 1089-4160

[6] Serano, Julia (2007), Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity, Seal Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-58005-154-5, ISBN 1-58005-154-5

[7] Serano (2007) also defines cisgender as synonymous with "non-transgender" and cissexual with "non-transsexual". (p. 33)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]