Cissexism in Radical Publications
Nov. 18th, 2012 11:22 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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transFor all you folks involved in radical activism, I wanted to point out some egregious nonsense recently published in the most recent Slingshot Collective newspaper. You might want to give this a read before purchasing a 2013 Slingshot Organizer or subscribing to the newspaper.
In "Love who you will, say what you must: New words as insult or acknowledgement", author Robert Eggplant rants about the term "cis" and how it's rarely used as anything other than an insult, a tool to divide the unity of the radical movement, and (no kidding) a word that perpetuates capitalism:
I’m thinking of all sorts of alien words used to sell shit like pharmaceuticals, computer software and hardware, car insurance and the like. Words that just reek of corporate board rooms. For me, cis had a similar feel...
But cis comes out of the mouth something like a snake sound — or someone booing an unpleasant speaker. The first time I heard the word, the way it was used, it reminded me the feeling I had when I first heard “HPV,” a word noting a new sexually transmitted disease. In some ways cis resembles HPV, for both words imply something you don’t want to catch.
Ok, so let's take a look at what evidence the author is basing these claims upon:
A part of me could have started this article with an investigation; drawn up a list of intelligent people I know sharp on trans issues and throw them a couple of questions about cis. At the very least you would think I could do [sic] is troll around on the internet looking for definitions and people’s opinions and insights. But by not going that route there is also a purity of direct experience.
But don't worry, despite the author's assertion that talking to actual trans people before writing an article about us is a complete waste of time, this writer is actually on our side!
Is the person really white…hetero…male? And only that?... Scruffy Frank rudely hitting on you at the party just might be a FTM transguy.
Yes, no trans person has ever pointed out the dangers of assuming someone's trans status. The only solution is to throw away the word "cis" entirely. And, as the author suggests, let's stop talking about sexism and race as well. It might make the white guys feel bad.
I know this kind of cissexism pops up everywhere and it's often better to just ignore it. But considering this came from a publication that carries weight in lots of anti-oppressive spaces, I think it's worth being aware of.
In "Love who you will, say what you must: New words as insult or acknowledgement", author Robert Eggplant rants about the term "cis" and how it's rarely used as anything other than an insult, a tool to divide the unity of the radical movement, and (no kidding) a word that perpetuates capitalism:
I’m thinking of all sorts of alien words used to sell shit like pharmaceuticals, computer software and hardware, car insurance and the like. Words that just reek of corporate board rooms. For me, cis had a similar feel...
But cis comes out of the mouth something like a snake sound — or someone booing an unpleasant speaker. The first time I heard the word, the way it was used, it reminded me the feeling I had when I first heard “HPV,” a word noting a new sexually transmitted disease. In some ways cis resembles HPV, for both words imply something you don’t want to catch.
Ok, so let's take a look at what evidence the author is basing these claims upon:
A part of me could have started this article with an investigation; drawn up a list of intelligent people I know sharp on trans issues and throw them a couple of questions about cis. At the very least you would think I could do [sic] is troll around on the internet looking for definitions and people’s opinions and insights. But by not going that route there is also a purity of direct experience.
But don't worry, despite the author's assertion that talking to actual trans people before writing an article about us is a complete waste of time, this writer is actually on our side!
Is the person really white…hetero…male? And only that?... Scruffy Frank rudely hitting on you at the party just might be a FTM transguy.
Yes, no trans person has ever pointed out the dangers of assuming someone's trans status. The only solution is to throw away the word "cis" entirely. And, as the author suggests, let's stop talking about sexism and race as well. It might make the white guys feel bad.
I know this kind of cissexism pops up everywhere and it's often better to just ignore it. But considering this came from a publication that carries weight in lots of anti-oppressive spaces, I think it's worth being aware of.