Most people have heard of the term cisgender, and some criticize the term without fully understanding its meaning and usage.

Definition and meaning

According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the term cisgender is an adjective meaning “of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth.”

Meaning that anyone that is described as cisgender is a person whose gender identity matches their biological sex. They do not experience the same mismatch between their gender and sex that occurs with transgender and non-binary people.

To break this down farther, let’s look at…

Scarlett Johannsen, a cisgender woman, faced criticism when she was cast to play the lead role of Dante “Tex” Gill, a transgender man, in the movie Rub and Tug. She later pulled out of the movie and apologized. By casting a woman to portray a transgender man shows how out-of-touch Hollywood is with the transgender community.

Some people have argued, since Scarlett is an actor, she should be able to portray any part given to her. The concern regarding her casting wasn’t whether she could provide a believable performance. The problem was the message it was sending.

Casting cisgender actors of the wrong gender

One fact that…

Whenever the debate around transgender rights occurs, transgender men are often left out of the debate or are barely an afterthought. This is because many people don’t realize transgender men exist. I blame this on the lack of representation of transgender men in media.

How is the current representation of transmasculine people lacking?

Looking across the various forms of media, when there is any transgender representation at all, the character is often a transgender woman. Until recent years, transgender women were portrayed by either a cisgender woman, or a cisgender man in drag. …

In early 2020, I began the process to have my name changed legally. Again.

This is a common rite of passage for most transgender people, as we come to terms with our identities and seek to find a name that better suits us as we begin our transition journey. However, I have changed my name legally twice before, and neither of those changes were for gender related reasons.

Childhood confusion

To begin with, my deadname was Gigi. However, this was never my legal name. It was a nickname my mother and grandmother called me. It was the name of their favorite movie…

No one can deny that 2020 was a remarkable year. Not remarkably good, mind you. Simply remarkable. Between the pandemic, the US presidential election, the tragedy of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s deaths (among many others), the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, the massive wildfires in Australia and the western United States, it feels like it’s been a decade since January.

Did reading that leave you breathless? That’s about how this year has felt. Every time we thought nothing else could happen, something else did. That list is merely the tip of the iceberg of what this year…

You can’t look up information on transgender people these days without coming across stories from those who have detransitioned. These are people who at one time identified as transgender, began their medical transition, and for a variety of reasons decided to stop moving forward with their transition.

At first, I came out as genderqueer in 2017 at the age of forty-five, which is when I began my transition journey. I started by socially transitioning and going to therapy. I cut my hair, changed how I dressed, and began wearing a binder. …

This year has shown us the deep divide between people that we still need to overcome. Racism is still rampant and rearing its ugly head all over the world, especially in the United States. Misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia are equally on display.

Too often I’ve had people tell me I should look past others’ difference of opinion and not call people out on their bigotry. They expect me to continue to associate with people who either are or openly support prejudiced bigots because of some other merits they might possess.

Human rights are not open for debate

Opinions are for whether pineapples go on pizza. (In my…

It is always uplifting to see allies stand up and defend transgender people, both online and off. While I know they mean well, many make these common mistakes. Here are some tips to help you better support the transgender community.

Don’t dread offending us

Yes, there may be times you say or ask something that may offend a transgender person. However, it impedes communication if you flinch anytime you want to ask a transgender person anything. Most of us are reasonable people and as long as what you’re asking isn’t offensive in polite company, then go ahead and ask.

I know many transgender people…