We explain what a cisgender person is, their characteristics and differences from transgender people. Also, other gender identities.
What is a cisgender person?
A cisgender person is one whose gender identity coincides with the biological configuration of their body that is, one whose identity and body coincide. This refers to the psychological and social identity of the individual, and not to their sexual preference or orientation, so cis people can be both heterosexual and homosexual.
In this way, we can talk about two classes of cisgender people:
- cis men. Those who were born with a male body and identify themselves as men, that is, they express themselves socially and psychologically as individuals of the male sex. These men can be heterosexual or homosexual.
- cis women. Those who were born with a female body and identify themselves as women, that is, they express themselves socially and psychologically as individuals of the female sex. These women can be heterosexual or homosexual.
The term “cisgender” was coined in 1998 by the German psychiatrist and sexologist Volkmar Sigusch (1940-), using the distinction that prefixes mark in biology. cis- and trans-coming from Latin and translatable as “on this side” (cis) and “on the other side” (trans). These words are used, for example, to identify the structure of proteins, in the sense that cis and trans are identical, but some are the mirror image of the others.
By distinguishing between “cis” and “trans” we seek to destigmatize the trans community and non-binary people, accepting them as another identity within the spectrum of the psychological and social expression of human sexuality, despite the fact that most people around the world identify as cis.
Differences between cisgender and transgender
The difference between cis people and trans people can be summarized as follows:
| cis people | trans people |
| The gender identity with which they think of themselves coincides with the one assigned to them at birth. | The gender identity with which they think of themselves does not coincide with the one assigned to them at birth. |
| They express their sexuality socially and psychologically within the conventional and traditional norms of society. | They may have serious difficulties expressing their sexuality socially and psychologically, considering that they were born “with the wrong body.” |
| They tend to have an easier time functioning in society, even though their sexual orientation can be a source of discrimination. | They usually have difficulties functioning in society, since their gender condition does not fit into a binary society and is usually a source of rejection and discrimination. |
Other gender identities
In addition to cisgender, there are other gender identities such as:
- Transgender. Those people whose gender identity does not match the one assigned to them at birth, or who were “born with the wrong body.”
- Agender. Those people whose gender identity does not fit with any binary gender identity, that is, they do not feel like men or women.
- fluid gender. Those people whose gender identity can change or alternate between man and woman, or even non-binary, depending on the context or time of life.
- Non-binary gender. Those people who profess a gender identity that, for one reason or another, does not fit into the binary male-female distinction. It is an “umbrella” term that serves to encompass different non-traditional identities, such as agender, bigender or fluid gender.
Continue with: Personal identity
References
- “Cisgender” on Wikipedia.
- “What does transgender and cisgender mean?” at Planned Parenthood.
- “What does it mean to be a cisgender man or woman?” on NTN24.
- “What does it mean to be a cisgender person?” in the newspaper El Financiero (Mexico).
