You may have wondered exactly what it means.
The termcishet(pronounced sis-het) refers to agender identityas well as asexual identity.
This two-part identity means that a person is both cisgender and heterosexual.
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What Does It Mean to Be Cisgender?
To becisgendermeans that you identify with the gender you were assigned at birth.
If you were assigned female at birth, you would be cisgender if you identify as a woman today.
You would also be cishet if you were assigned male at birth and identify as a man today.
Your experienced gender identity matches the sex you were assigned at birth.
People who identify as cisgender may never have to think at all about their gender identity.
That is a privilege.
Origins of the Term
The term cisgender emerged as an antonym of the word transgender.
It includes the Latin prefixcis, which means ‘on this side of.’
The term was first introduced in 1994 and added to dictionaries in 2015.
What Does It Mean to Be Heterosexual?
To be heterosexual means that you are attracted to and partner with members of the opposite sex.
It’s also used synonymously with the word “straight.”
Just like being cis, many hetero people don’t ever think about being heterosexual at all.
This is also a privilege.
People who are queer face more discrimination throughout their lives than people who are heterosexual do.
So what is the difference between cis and cishet?
Not all cis people are cishet.
Cis people can also have sexual orientations other than heterosexual, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, orasexual.
One example of this is theTwo-Spiritidentity in Native American culture.
This has led many to believe that those groups of people didn’t exist prior.
In reality, LGBTQIA+ people have always existed.
The Difference Between Gender and Sexuality
Gender and sexuality are often conflated.
In reality, gender and sexuality are entirely different things.
A trans person might consider themself heterosexual if they partner with people of the opposite gender, for example.
you might be a minority in regards to either sexuality or gender orientation.
It happens because of something calledheteronormativity.
Heteronormativity is the assumption that everyone is straight.
Heteronormativity also treats being straight as the only normal or natural way to express sexuality and attraction.
There isn’t a similar word for assuming that everyone is cisgender, but heteronormativity can also include gender.
For one, people who aren’t cishet are made to feel as if they don’t exist.
When you meet someone who is feminine-presenting, don’t necessarily assume that person identifies as a woman.
When you meet someone who you think looks heterosexual, don’t assume that they are.
There is little to be gained in making assumptions about others, but much to lose.
Another way to be inclusive is to participate in inclusive activities.
One example of this issharing your pronouns.
But that puts all of theemotional laboron non-cis people, which isn’t fair.
As a cishet person, you have likely not been discriminated against for your sexuality or your gender identity.
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research; 2020.
American Historical Association.Tracing terminology: Research early uses of “cisgender.”
2019;54(S2):1454-1466. doi:10.1111/1475-6773.13229
OutHistory.Constructing the Heterosexual, Homosexual, Bisexual System.
