Why be a trans woman when you can just be a woman?
By: Addison Smith
Tags: LGBTQ, Transgender Rights, Askaddi, Women, Transgender

“Ask Addi” is Join the Gender Revolution’s weekly advice column for questions about gender, transitioning or general LGBTQ+ issues. Click here if you’d like to Ask Addi a question, or find them on social media, #ASKADDI. Questions are answered anonymously so provide a pseudonym if you’d like.

I don’t want to be called a “ciswoman” (sic) and you shouldn’t have to be a “transwoman” (sic). We should all just be women. Isn’t that what you want? — No Name Given

Dear No Name,

Yes, that is what many trans women want, but certainly not all. In fact, we don’t usually relate to each other or with cis people in terms of being trans. A cis man and a trans man are both dudes to me. I will relate to trans women and cis women basically the same way. Non-binary people like myself, well, we just are. Gender, cis or trans, doesn’t really compute so I end up treating everyone the same. However, there are two points here to consider. First, if we do not use terms like cis and trans, we have no way of speaking about transgender issues. Second, not everyone who identifies as transgender also identifies with the gender binary. Let me elaborate.

On the first point, part of activism and civil discourse is the clear debate of issues. The word transgender, trans for short, exists so that we may more conveniently discuss the psychological, medical, social and societal needs of people whose gender identity does not match the gender to which they were assigned at birth or to which others perceived them to be. There is a whole range of issues that come from being different in a society that values conformity and we need to name those issues. We need to be able to identify as trans to say that we too are affected by those issues.

The term also allows us to find people like ourselves and form a community. There are safety and comfort being in a room where everyone knows what your daily life is like. Trans people need that and without the word to identify ourselves, it would be hard to find.

Cisgender is just a short way of saying “not transgender.” It’s not meant as an insult or to set us in opposition. It’s just a way to identify people whose gender identity and the gender others perceive them to be match up. You see, trans is a Latin prefix which means “on the other side of,” so transgender literally means “on the other side of gender.” Cis is the Latin for “on the same side,” so it’s the opposite of trans. It’s just a matter of having a word so that gender issues can be more easily discussed. That’s all there is to it so don’t get worked up being called a cis woman. (By the way, cis and trans used in this context are short forms of a whole word so you don’t join them to man or woman, i.e. it’s “cis woman,” not “ciswoman.”)

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

As to the second point, not every transgender person identifies with the traditional sexes. Trans men and women are the focus of much popular culture because they are more visible but there are many people who do not use these terms. Transgender is an umbrella term for any gender identity that is different than the traditional gender binary. That means non-binary, androgyne, neutrois, agender, genderqueer, demiboy, demigirl and many other gender identities fall under the transgender umbrella. Dropping the term trans or even cis would take away these peoples’ identities.

I believe you’re trying to be ultra progressive and show solidarity with trans women by suggesting that they all be known as just women, like you. Trans women actually are women just like you. However, trans identities come with a host of issues and occur in a range of possibilities. If we were no longer to use the terms cis or trans, we would effectively be erasing the discussion of those issues and those non-binary identities. I will relate to you as a woman just as I do any other woman, cis or trans, but when it comes time to talk about gender issues, you are a cis woman and I am a transfeminine non-binary person.

Check out the first article in the series if you’d like to know more about Addi’s background or the Ask Addi Archive for additional columns.