this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2024
1502 points (97.5% liked)

Microblog Memes

5849 readers
1995 users here now

A place to share screenshots of Microblog posts, whether from Mastodon, tumblr, ~~Twitter~~ X, KBin, Threads or elsewhere.

Created as an evolution of White People Twitter and other tweet-capture subreddits.

Rules:

  1. Please put at least one word relevant to the post in the post title.
  2. Be nice.
  3. No advertising, brand promotion or guerilla marketing.
  4. Posters are encouraged to link to the toot or tweet etc in the description of posts.

Related communities:

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] madcaesar 1 points 4 months ago (5 children)

I don't really get the distinction. Either way, if I say I identity as a straight white male, that should be sufficient enough for everyone to understand and move on.

I afford the same courtesy to all my LGBT brothers and sisters. I call you as you wish to be addressed.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Well, not getting the distinction is pretty important. People can't discuss an issue without both understanding the definition of terms, or we'd just be speaking different languages to each other.

Cis and trans are both Latin prefixes.

Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning "across", "beyond", or "on the other side of".

Cis- The prefix “cis-” comes from the Latin meaning “on this side,” as opposed to “trans-” which means “on the other side of” or “beyond.”

So all cisgender means is not transgender. Or transgender means not cisgender. Neither are insults that should offend, and if one does, it might be a viewpoint thing.

You are, presumably, a homo sapiens sapiens. We don't use that term generally, and just call you human. However, both are correct labels, and they aren't insults. If there were homo neanderthalensis around still, the distinction may come up in conversation for various reasons, and that's when it'd be necessary to have the different labels.

Straight or gay/bi/lesbian/pan/ace/demi etc are all talking about something completely different, which is your sexual orientation. Calling you straight when we're discussing whether you are cis or trans would be like calling you lotion or something when talking about your species. Lotion isn't a species, so it's pointless to the conversation, and just plain wrong.

You could of course request to be called lotion, but it's a confusing title if someone was discussing your species, especially medically, in socially (as in social issues or norms for your species), issues that pertain to your species, medication, etc.

Now, here is where I might be skirting close to accusing you of something, but if possible, please just think deeply about it. Why is CIS unacceptable but straight acceptable? Is it possible that CIS makes you not feel "normal" as a label, while straight does?

[–] [email protected] 36 points 4 months ago

A women which transitions to male can also be a straight white male, but they are not cis.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 4 months ago

Calling someone cis basically just mean that they are not trans. Generally speaking a straight white male may or may not be cis.

[–] Hobbes_Dent 18 points 4 months ago

I believe the above point is that cisgender (cissexual) is a term for one who identifies as their birth sex, as opposed to transgender.

It’s not defining of your attractions and isn’t an opposite of “straight”.