Why cisgender is a term that makes no sense

[Ruby]

I think I love the World Health Organization (branch of United Nations). They put it very simply:

"Sex" refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women.  "Gender" refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women.To put it another way: "Male" and "female" are sex categories, while "masculine" and "feminine" are gender categories.

Here in Genderland, we like to assert that gender is fluid. Gender is how we express our individuality with the paintbrushes called masculine and feminine (or androgyn). We eschew the "gender binary" in favor of freedom of expression. Why then, do we hang on to a term like cisgender?

If I try to imagine myself, for instance, as being cisgender, images of the "real woman" try to find their way into my psyche. What the hell? Is there any such thing? "Cis" meaning "on the same side as" supports the whole concept of binary – that is, two-sidedness. If I am "on the same side'" of my assigned sex, I am cissexual; I get that. If I am "on the same side" of my gender, which is commonly referred to as feminine, then where is there any room for the masculine qualities of my personality? And how many females do you know who do not have any masculine qualities?  For instance.

I know the term cisgender is popular. I believe people use it (erroneously) in place of the term cissexual. I propose that the casual substitution of one term for the other is working against us. Gender, not to be confused with sex, is fluid. When we say cisgender instead of cissexual, we are actually supporting the idea of a binary.

Does this argument make sense to anyone else? If it doesn't make sense, can you tell me what you think cisgender means? Can you give me an example of a cisgendered person?

[rar]

Then wouldn't "transgender" uphold the gender binary just as much?

[kyril]

Cisgender refers to gender identity, not expression.

"Cissexual female": someone who was born with a body that fits within female norms, and identifies with that body/doesn't experience body dysphoria related to its femaleness.

"Cisgender woman": someone who was raised as a girl (presumably with a female or female-leaning intersex body) and identifies as a woman, regardless of gender expression. Butch women are just as cisgender as feminine women are.

Edit: I'd almost prefer to say that anyone whose gender identity aligns with their sex identity, regardless of medical history, is cisgender. But that would create some confusion with the common use of "transgender" to include transitioned transsexuals who would be cisgender by my preferred definition.

[rejennyrated]

Cisgender refers to gender identity, not expression.

"Cissexual female": someone who was born with a body that fits within female norms, and identifies with that body/doesn't experience body dysphoria related to its femaleness.

"Cisgender woman": someone who was raised as a girl (presumably with a female or female-leaning intersex body) and identifies as a woman, regardless of gender expression. Butch women are just as cisgender as feminine women are.

Edit: I'd almost prefer to say that anyone whose gender identity aligns with their sex identity, regardless of medical history, is cisgender. But that would create some confusion with the common use of "transgender" to include transitioned transsexuals who would be cisgender by my preferred definition.

Actually after much thought I now refer to myself as cisgender using PRECISELY your logic.

[blair]

I typically have a hard time with labels and terms in general. I always just say GG (genetic girl) and to me that means a female identifying biological female who was assigned that sex at birth. 

[Pinkfluff]

If I try to imagine myself, for instance, as being cisgender, images of the "real woman" try to find their way into my psyche. What the hell? Is there any such thing?

A real woman is a woman with the courage to be herself instead of whatever society wants her to be. And by that definition, I think there are alot of fake people out there who just accept and do what their told without stopping to even ask if it makes sense.

As far as the term "cisgender", I've also been thinking that it's getting alot wrong. I remember hearing a long time ago that the term was invented so that "trans" people wouldn't be the "other", implied abnormal, group. Then there's the whole "born and/or raised (whatever)" definition. I don't agree with either one. I don't see this as some other group, it's another genetic condition. And as far as the way in which a person was born --  I was born female, this body I'm in is a completely different entity from me. I know many people consider the body they're in to be a part of themselves, but I'm the only one with the authority to define who and what I am, and I don't consider it to be such. Now the part about how a person was raised, well one point of view I wasn't "raised" at all. I was abused, indoctrinated, and taught pretty much nothing about the way the world actually works, so whether I was "raised" as a "male" or "female" is irrelevant.

The way I see it both "trans" and "cis" gender/sexual are incorrect terms. Sometimes I may still have to use them for quick communication so that I don't have to explain the above points, but that doesn't mean that I agree with them.