I generally agree with what's said in this video, but given that transgender people are quite a small percentage of the population, I don't see it as unreasonable to assume that one is referring to a normal male when using the word "man."
And by that you mean a transman shouldn't be able to describe himself as a man, because that would mean he's erronously discribing himself as cis?
When using the term "Man", it should refer to either cis or trans men, just as it can describe white or black men.
In addition, a transman shouldn't be forced to identify specifically as trans just because people might come to the assumption that he's cis. It really doesn't matter, and it's really no one's business.
@BollieTrucks I do hope that the words you're using aren't supposed to go against him as offensive, and are just reference words. Though, I would use different words as reference than the ones you are currently using.
I remember when 'ain't; wasn't a word because it wasn't in the dictionary. Ain't is now in the dictionary, so I suppose it is now a word. Its an odd world, ain't it?
@Slumpnasty yup i do, what does that have do with religious beliefs retard. your trying to diss me but yet you waste your time coming on my page and looking my shit fuck off.
@j3rkinm4 I thought your channel was pretty good. If you don't even like your own channel, then I recommend that you abuse some drugs and throw yourself off a bridge.
'Cisgendered' is rarely used, and is not recognizable to most lay people. That doesn't mean it should be struck from the english language. Just use it more!!!
I can see logically that cisgendered shouldn't be a disparaging term. But the first time I had ever heard it used was when someone embedded it in a long string of insults directed at me. So it still kind of gives me that emotional reaction.
Trandgenderism does not challenge traditional gender roles, it REINFORCES them by buying into the ridiculously limiting & outdated binary model of what human gender IS, fundamentally.
Heaven forbid somebody should simply be a complete, multidimensional person.
BTW- Atheism is based on a logical fallacy that says since religion is corrupt and phony, God itself must be phony, too. This is incorrect, and modern science has been proving it so (like in "the Tao of Physics").
@planetery I can sort of see where you're going with the first thing and I kind of agree.
But you're wrong about atheism, because atheism doesn't say anything about religion. Atheism is simply rejecting the claim that a god or gods exist. There are infact some atheist religions. Buddhism, for instance.
@Percavius Religion is about god. Spirituality is about god. Buddhism isn't a godless religion (if such a thing is even possible), it's a religionless religion. The Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao- that kind of thing. Atheists are usually just so turned off to the word/idea "god" after a lifetime of torture from idiotic religionists that they've put up a barrier against it. But god is real, and all things are one with it- including you. No need for church or Bible, just HEART. :)
I'm not sure I follow your logic. While I agree a word taken straight from Latin roots can hardly be offensive, I disagree with your closing statements. There are plenty of things for which we have no words, such as people who do not believe in astrology or people who do not collect stamps. It's not offensive to someone who doesn't eat carrots to not identify myself as a carrot-eater whenever I introduce myself, for instance.
I suppose it would be too much to ask, or to hope for, that we could dispense with any and all of these labels. Every single one of us differs from everyone else on every level, including sexually. There are no groups, no lines, no defined preferences. From purely "straight" to purely "gay", there are myriad nuances in between.... and plenty that fall outside of those precieved boundaries as well. I have no label.
At the risk of opening myself up here, I wonder if the real issue isn't that we need more labels, but (perhaps ideally) need less... on the order of none. I mean, I am not trans, but at the same time, I'm not really cis, either. I don't entirely feel comfortable placing a label on myself, because psychologically i fill many different parts of the spectrum. And that's just it. It's a spectrum. No one is really all of anything, and we know and accept this, until it comes time to affix labels.
Raising consciousness that cis men do not have exclusive right over the word man is an important issue for people who are trans and are also men. ZJ frequently makes videos about LGBT issues, and that includes trans issues. If they are so insignificant to you, then why are you subscribed or even bothering to comment.
The lives of trans people are not technical or academic. These are words used frequently in discourse between trans people, just as gay people use the term "straight people" orders of magnitude more than heterosexuals do.
@easygoingbloke101 "cis"people need to take on board as part of their everyday self-description.
Who the hell is asking you to do this?
"It's like having a word for being not a person living in Kiribati'
Are you a child that has not developed out of the egocentric state of cognitive development? What if you are from Kiribati? Obviously having words is going to be pretty damn important.
Hi... I only just started watching your videos today, but I must say, YOU'RE AWESOME :D Though I am sorry to see how much crap you get in your comments sections... I guess it just shows that you're doing something right, you're stepping all over people's sense of entitlement and privileges, and that pisses them off. So keep up the good work ;)
this is my first time to this channel, and I have to ask...are you a guy? Your voice is so completely off from a woman's (both in pitch and speaking style) that I can only think that you're either a guy in drag or the audio is not from the same person as the person in the picture.
I'm not really trying to offend if I am, the video is just a little weird.
@jcac1023 I did. I didn't see anything that said one way or another. The closest I came to a "Sex : " was a line that reads "Call me 'she'. Or 'he'. Either is fine."
Not sure, but I'm guessing that this means the person in the video might be a pre-op transexual (might just be a transvestite though). I'm saying pre-op since the voice is distinctly not a woman's. Either that or s/he is post-op and isn't taking the estrogen nor the necessary voice lessons to make the outward change complete.
I'm not sure whether I'm glad or not that this page hasn't been taken over by bronies. On the one hand, it would've detracted from the message you're trying to get across. On the other hand, there'd be less posts in the comments section that make me want to rage against the screen.
you know I love you and think you are the most coherent person on YouTube but I don't like seeing you taking on someone's kids at such a young age when you could be talking and writing to change the world. I want you to have love in your life but a drinker with kids? damn.
@easygoinbloke101 Yes, I agree with you, and I think ZJ is getting a little over the edge on this stuff. It's how we treat and respect (or disrespect) each other. I find myself naturally a person who tends to have difficulty dealing with people as groups rather than individualizing. I try to put myself in someone else's shoes (to the best of my ability) and that only works with individuals.
I'm sorry ZJ, but I have to disagree with you here. Straight and non-trans is the default position and it applies to over 90% of the population. Just like us atheists have to point our selves out as atheists because the rest of the population is some sort of theist, gays and trans-gender people have to identify themselves. If you think we are ever going to get to a point where people identify themselves as straight cisgender, you are mistaken.
@christo930 "If you think we are ever going identify as straight cisgender, you are mistaken."
That is not the point of the term. Its not an identity label, its a useful word to have when discussing trans issues and making generalisations, comparing and contrasting cis and trans people. Obviously trans people need words like this when communicating about anything. They are not about to say "default people-this, normal-people that". Take yourself out of your frame of reference for one moment.
@iamlilyy I thought about even before I posted it (about people having to refer to everyone else as "normal" or something) and I agree that it isn't fair, to a point. But you can just as easily say "oh, john's not a tranny'" or something like that. Just like we have to acknowledge that we are different as atheists, trans and gays have to do the same. In the end, it's not that big of a deal.
@christo930 when something is common there is no term for it even though it is still there. for example, in the skincare/makeup field aestheticians are described as simple "she" (normal). but if a male is to be an aesthetician they don't say simply aesthetician they say "male aesthetician". it is the same with racial culture. most shows are whites but it's not called "white shows" but if it's mostly black characters it's called "black entertainment". cisgender is an approriate term
@devaloki This is all well and good, but I am still never going to call myself a cisgender and I don't think it will ever be a widely used word. That was really my main point.
The "whole story"!? We got that in 2003. Written, signed and published. The article was called "Bad Tranny", and is available on The Stranger.
No amount of squirming will set Savage free of this; he's done. His career is over. No longer can he pretend to be the expert on queerness. He's old news. Part of an old age of well-to-do queer men from the seventies that are waking up to find they're no less square than G.W. Bush and no more knowledgeable than a horny teenager.
Well, after learning what the word means, I find it hard to see such a word as offensive. Besides, I'd been wondering what a non-trans person word be called without it being a mouthful.
@phantonfan What makes you think that bisexuals are not born that way too? And who cares if they aren't. The haters will hate them and claim that they are choosing to be bisexual or gay regardless.
I enjoyed the way in which you used the word “entitled” at the end of your video. Far too often I have listened to feminists (Watson), minorities, and arguers use that term inappropriately. Whenever I state something that is either misunderstood or ignorant it has been pointed out that the statement “shows how entitled [I] am.” The term in that context is used as an ad-hominem. But by saying the statement is described as “entitled” it doesn’t all of a sudden close down discussion. Thank You
I am cis...this video is very well done. I feel the need to say, on behalf of intelligent, compassionate cis people everywhere, that I'm so, so sorry that so many of my fellow cisgendered folk are so ignorant and mean-spirited. For what it's worth, very many of us cis people are allies. Don't let the assholes make it seem like we're all this awful.
@cataloniaq8 Does it matter? You do realize that a binary representation of gender is largely a social construct, right? There are many ways to define a "man". There are people I consider men who you would not, and people you consider men who I would not. Generally though, go with what the person tells you they identify as.
Oooh! Word etymology - fun stuff! Maybe Zinnia could find time to show us how modern coined terms such as "homosexual" and "homophobia" have become bastardized and misappropriated in modern society? Or how the terminology "transgender" differs from "transsexual"... Would be interesting - I love your take on things! Keep it up, ZJ!
Cis sounds allot like 'sis' and could be mistook for insinuating sissy. And I can see why that would be offensive to straight or non-fem gay guys. Though I myself as a cis non-fem gay man see no reason to be offended by a word that just describes me, without adding negative attributes to what I am.
I would just like to say I have never heard of this word before now and it makes sense to me. If there is a light, there is a dark; if there is a homosexual, there is a heterosexual; if there is a transgender, there is a cisgender.
Also, I just laughed so had when my spell check suggested changing cisgender to transgender.
As a note, while I am 100% behind cis is fine, it should be noted that Dan Savage was absolutely not being transphobic - this has been a pretty heavily misunderstood situation. If you read this post it is pretty clear there is a lot of hysteria going on here. Search "On glitter transphobia and hate speech" and it is the first result in Google, where you can get the whole story. I think it would be worthwhile to include that at least in the description, show as not to pass on bad info.
Wow... really gay cis people? As a bisexual cis person myself, may I shake my head in shame at this nonsense? It's a word. An accurate word. It's not offensive until you all decide to pull your panties up in a bunch over it. It's not like the trans community got together and said, "And from here on, all non-trans gay people shall be called "faggotybumfuckers". THAT would be a valid excuse to bitch and moan.
In short: Get back to campaigning for equality, and stop whining over semantics.
ZJ I'm VERY surprised that you do not realize that there is no such a thing as a bad word: ? there are only descriptive words used in inappropriate, divisive, and/or accusatory tones. And then there are people who are offended at the context and declare those words bad. Happened here? Absolutely.
Now you could have taken the high road and said both Aravosis and Hill-Meyer were wrong in various ways, but I see instead you chose to draw party lines and play political games.
I'm on the fence on this one... Whilst I see it could be exclusive to label transgender people whilst assuming that all other people are 'normal', it seems like a big jump to invent a word for said 'normal' people... despite the fact that the word 'normal' could imply abnormality, 'cisgender' doesn't fare much better.
@TheBrentagon I'm not talking about every majority though, I'm talking about gender issues. I didn't say anything about other distinguishing features.
@TheBrentagon And cisgendered people are people whose physical gender is aligned with with the gender they feel, which can't really be called anything other than 'normal'. I'm sure there's a better word with less implications, but we've gone these many years without inventing a new one.
@TheBrentagon You're reading far too much into what I meant. Someone who is born with 6 fingers on a hand is different from the 'norm' in the same way as someone who is transgender is... doesn't mean it's a bad thing. We haven't invented words for people who don't have six fingers though.
... That implies that cisgendered is the default while transgendered is the 'other' option, which isn't the case. It can either be one or the other, but the odds favour cisgendered.
Same with sexuality for example; it's not that heterosexual is the 'default' and homosexual is when it deviates from the default. It's that it can be either one, but odds may favour heterosexual.
@alexvegas I just realised what I said was not clear at all... It's hard to convey what I meant.
Basically, just because something is the majority doesn't mean we shouldn't have a word for it. What if transgenders were the majority? Would the situation be the same?
As a gay “Cis–gendered” male I would like to say that I don’t find this word offensive and that John Aravosis does NOT speak for me of other gay men like me. It pisses me off to see infighting between different members of the GLBT community as it only damages the community and the fight for all of our rights gay and trans alike.
Did I miss something? Are straights, gays, theists, atheists, cats and dogs all getting along now in perfect harmony in a world of tolerance? Everything must be rosy if the term cisgender is the "slur" Aravosis is most worried about.
"Energy is a word that is transforming the reality of the muppets into the world of non consuming beings that need consuming beings to bring them to life...wait, I'm drunk."- Albert D. Xavier
Ok but on the part about some men being trans, is this referring to women who are mentally masculine and are transgender and identify as men and therefore are "trans men", or the people who are born with male organs but feel like a woman hence (assuming 99% of any question of who you are is in your personality) are actually women? Because I wouldn't use "man" to describe them if they wouldn't do it themselves. Whereas cisgender men are !00% just that, mentally and originally "a man".
@DepressedAnnnie I'm not trying to argue with what's being said, I would just like a little clarification of what makes you "a man" if you're transgender.
Well said ZJ! A new word is just a new word and I AM cisgender and don't consider it a slur or negative. It is merely a descriptor and I guess I just don't have the time or brain power to worry about things as much as some people :)
All these words I have to memorize about myself. African-American, agnostic, American, amniote, animal, ape, atheist, black, bright, catarrhine, chordate, deuterostome, Earthling, eukaryote, heterosexual, hominid, _Homo sapiens_, liberal, male, man, methodological naturalist, omnivore, placental mammal, primate, Roman Catholic (baptism is for life, sucker!), sarcopterygian, straight, synapsid, teleostome, tetrapod, vertebrate, Virgin Islander, West Indian, ...
Well, I learned a new word today! This is such a great improvement for the recognition of transgendered people, because, as you said Zinnia, with the term 'cisgender', we can't think of cis-people as being the 'default' mode anymore.
I'll admit that as a heterosexual male, ignorant to much of the homosexual culture in general, it did take a while for Zinnia's point to sink in. The context of the first 3 minutes of the argument was a bit much, considering how I never knew about this argument even existing. However, as often I find with Zinnia's speeches, the last moments do such a compelling job of trying it all together. For a topic I thought I wouldn't care about...I'm now immersed and less ignorant than before. TY, Zinnia!
Even if, for the sake of argument, "cisgendered" isn't a "real word", does that make it automatically offensive? Many dictionaries contain "nigger". So if "cisgendered" isn't real and "nigger" is, does that make "nigger" innocuous and "cis" offensive?
It is a slur to those of us who don't have a gender identity who are oppressed because of our biological sex and want to get rid of the gender paradigm that polices our behavior as humans.
How are you oppressed? Because someone on the internet told you to "GB2T kitchen"? Maybe if you feminists had different tactics rather than complaining like babies and worshipping victimhood you would be taken seriously. Truly powerful women that I know do not have your failing mindsets. Crybabies who demand respect never get put in positions of power b/c the fact that they have to ask for it means that they never earned it.
no disrespect but my question is this...you are transgender, but have a girlfriend (assuming she is a she) so does that make you straight? I say that lovingly without disrespect but I am trying to understand...
@MistressArte "Transgender" is used a lot as an umbrella term for anything other than "gender identity agrees with physical sex", which is what cisgender basically means. Otherwise, it depends on what you mean by "inbetween".
@MistressArte Than maybe you're genderqueer. Take a look at genderqueerid{dot}com/what-is-gq and genderqueerid{dot}com/gq-terms and see what you think. There's heaps of gender variability out there, so look around and see what you find that fits you best. ^.^
@ZanderSchubert I guess I feel more Bigender then anything, I'm attracted to both guys and girls and have moments where I like things obnoxiously cute and then there's the side of me that likes things that mostly guys like and hate things that the stereotypical woman should like. (Like 99% of kids, there is a rare one that doesn't irritate me, but I feel like I'm weird being female and saying ewew that baby looks gross can you put it back? I would want a refund on that it's icky.)
Maybe a German accent will nullify the debate. Just say "zis" instead of "cis" =-P (I kid, I kid). I read "Whipping Girl" a while back (recommend it, btw). Before that, I had no idea that the word cisgendered even existed. Afterward, I was like, "Huh, why would 'cis' be considered any more offensive than 'non-trans' or 'straight'?"
The word "cis" isn't to blame. My guess would be that John has had some bad run-ins with prejudice (happens to all good people =-/). His blame is misplaced.
RAINBOW DASH!
Brohoof /)
KagomeChic 1 week ago
I generally agree with what's said in this video, but given that transgender people are quite a small percentage of the population, I don't see it as unreasonable to assume that one is referring to a normal male when using the word "man."
sdrawkcabgnipytmi 1 month ago
@sdrawkcabgnipytmi
And by that you mean a transman shouldn't be able to describe himself as a man, because that would mean he's erronously discribing himself as cis?
When using the term "Man", it should refer to either cis or trans men, just as it can describe white or black men.
In addition, a transman shouldn't be forced to identify specifically as trans just because people might come to the assumption that he's cis. It really doesn't matter, and it's really no one's business.
dreadwing93 2 weeks ago in playlist Uploaded videos
@dreadwing93
"shouldn't be able to describe himself..."
They should do what they want, all I'm saying is that because cis people are the expected norm, they should expect people to assume that they're cis.
" shouldn't be forced to identify specifically... it's really no one's business."
I agree, the only exception might be in the context of dating.
sdrawkcabgnipytmi 1 week ago
*sees ZJ's shirt*
*BROHOOF*
bluejayofevil 1 month ago
"Stop using that word!"
"It's bringing back surrpressed memories of me getting owned!"
Chayraz2 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
"Did those faggots just call me a sissy?!" -John Aravosis
kalivious 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
Awesome demolishing of Aravosis, here. :)
janeofthesea 1 month ago
Wait, he's gay (a partially persecuted minority) and is trans-phobic? Does he not understand their struggles in society?
Lucroq 1 month ago in playlist More videos from ZJemptv
....Is that a Rainbow Dash shirt? I love MLP.
LyssaLynn98 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos 3
Very eloquent! I like the way you argue, point by point and in a nonaggressive way =)
csm1025 1 month ago
@iliekbadfanfics I meant *your
I fucking fail at grammar :C
iliekbadfanfics 1 month ago
You're shirt made this video 20% cooler
iliekbadfanfics 1 month ago 3
@iliekbadfanfics Zinna: *sunglasses* "Deal with it, Aravosis!"
Chayraz2 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
Absolutely love your work. You are kind of my idol. I want to be just like you when I grow up :)
offtheball87 1 month ago
Cisgender ? Thanks but i think we will just keep using the term FREAK instead .
imN0Ttheone 1 month ago
@imN0Ttheone You're ignorance cannot be more obvious.
Tylerkee28 1 month ago
@Tylerkee28 I' willing to bet i'm 100 times more knowledgable on this tiopic the you are ignorant dick sucker.
imN0Ttheone 1 month ago
u look like a girl. sound like lumpy space princess from adventure time :P
chizzlemang 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
YOU SOUND LIKE A MAN!!!
YOU SOUND LIKE A MAN!!!
YOU SOUND LIKE A MAN!!!
YOU SOUND LIKE A MAN!!!
YOU SOUND LIKE A MAN!!!
YOU SOUND LIKE A MAN!!!
MulchnStolz 2 months ago
@MulchnStolz He is a man who dress like a girl. Whit other words a gay/faggot/homo
BollieTrucks 1 month ago
@BollieTrucks I do hope that the words you're using aren't supposed to go against him as offensive, and are just reference words. Though, I would use different words as reference than the ones you are currently using.
lilymu12 1 month ago
I remember when 'ain't; wasn't a word because it wasn't in the dictionary. Ain't is now in the dictionary, so I suppose it is now a word. Its an odd world, ain't it?
absentmindedprof 2 months ago in playlist Queer issues
Comment removed
absentmindedprof 2 months ago in playlist Queer issues
ZJemptv, how can you conceal your voice? You look like a hot chick, but you sound like a dude.
Slumpnasty 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
@Slumpnasty hot chick?!?! where have you been this is 2011 this MAN is below ugly
j3rkinm4 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
@j3rkinm4 LOL If you like Boogie and WOW, then you might consider some tolerance.
Slumpnasty 2 months ago
@Slumpnasty yup i do, what does that have do with religious beliefs retard. your trying to diss me but yet you waste your time coming on my page and looking my shit fuck off.
j3rkinm4 2 months ago
@j3rkinm4 I thought your channel was pretty good. If you don't even like your own channel, then I recommend that you abuse some drugs and throw yourself off a bridge.
Slumpnasty 2 months ago
this is the first time i have heard the term "Cisgender"
randomap001 2 months ago
RAINBOWDASH SHIRT!!!!
MrEpicfailproduction 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
The irony of all this is an anti-gay marriage ad is right next to your video.
CatFlashBlue 2 months ago
'Cisgendered' is rarely used, and is not recognizable to most lay people. That doesn't mean it should be struck from the english language. Just use it more!!!
2degucitas 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
I can see logically that cisgendered shouldn't be a disparaging term. But the first time I had ever heard it used was when someone embedded it in a long string of insults directed at me. So it still kind of gives me that emotional reaction.
Percavius 2 months ago
I gennerally refer to my best friend as being my Cissy, as she is like a sister to me. I have never used the term to disparage anyone
SephieRothe 2 months ago
John's just dumb.
Tatsuyoujo 2 months ago
LMFAO
Trandgenderism does not challenge traditional gender roles, it REINFORCES them by buying into the ridiculously limiting & outdated binary model of what human gender IS, fundamentally.
Heaven forbid somebody should simply be a complete, multidimensional person.
BTW- Atheism is based on a logical fallacy that says since religion is corrupt and phony, God itself must be phony, too. This is incorrect, and modern science has been proving it so (like in "the Tao of Physics").
planetery 2 months ago
@planetery I can sort of see where you're going with the first thing and I kind of agree.
But you're wrong about atheism, because atheism doesn't say anything about religion. Atheism is simply rejecting the claim that a god or gods exist. There are infact some atheist religions. Buddhism, for instance.
Percavius 2 months ago
@Percavius Religion is about god. Spirituality is about god. Buddhism isn't a godless religion (if such a thing is even possible), it's a religionless religion. The Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao- that kind of thing. Atheists are usually just so turned off to the word/idea "god" after a lifetime of torture from idiotic religionists that they've put up a barrier against it. But god is real, and all things are one with it- including you. No need for church or Bible, just HEART. :)
planetery 2 months ago
@planetery Religion is NOT about God. Shutup and stop trying to define religion by alienating beliefs you do not like.
spilledinsanity 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
@spilledinsanity "Religion is NOT about God"?!?
ROFLMFAO Oh really?
And what, "pray tell", IS it about?
Actually, don't answer. Stupid statements are funny. Stupid explanations are just sad...
planetery 2 months ago
@planetery Buddhism, Janism, Taoism, Thelema, and more all do not believe in god but are still valid religions. now fuck off.
spilledinsanity 2 months ago
@spilledinsanity LOL You have no idea what you're talking about.
BTW- Didn't YOU start talking to ME? Yet you're telling ME to fuck off because you are frustrated by the argument?
ROFLMFAO Idiot. YOU fuck off. And read a book sometime, while you're at it.
planetery 2 months ago
@planetery oh grow up.
spilledinsanity 2 months ago
@spilledinsanity Buddhism, Janism, Taoism, Thelema, and Christianity are all bullshit
randomap001 2 months ago
I find you ridiculously attractive.
ororosane 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
My goal for the week is to use the phrase "asinine restraint on meaningful discourse” in a conversation. Rock on, Z!
London1869 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
i love watching people trying to make responses to your videos and they look rediculously dumb ahhah
Winceton353 2 months ago in playlist Queer issues
I just wanted to say that you're gorgeous and articulate.
josiegallows 2 months ago
I think you are an excellent speaker. Thank you.
EmoryAuster 2 months ago
I guess I would be Cisgender, but bisexual. :D I can dig it. Hurray new terminology!
Kipicus 2 months ago
It's funny. 15 years ago I remember thinking that I wish there were a word for not transgendered. I'm guessing the word existed then.
hviw 2 months ago 14
I'm not sure I follow your logic. While I agree a word taken straight from Latin roots can hardly be offensive, I disagree with your closing statements. There are plenty of things for which we have no words, such as people who do not believe in astrology or people who do not collect stamps. It's not offensive to someone who doesn't eat carrots to not identify myself as a carrot-eater whenever I introduce myself, for instance.
Nulono 2 months ago
Trannys? I thought the plural was trannies.
Nulono 2 months ago
I always saw it as male, female, and transgendered. but I am not up to date most of the time when it comes to labels.
MastrodiAtheist 2 months ago
I suppose it would be too much to ask, or to hope for, that we could dispense with any and all of these labels. Every single one of us differs from everyone else on every level, including sexually. There are no groups, no lines, no defined preferences. From purely "straight" to purely "gay", there are myriad nuances in between.... and plenty that fall outside of those precieved boundaries as well. I have no label.
deenloon 2 months ago
@deenloon that is true but society is still focused on it so labelling is necessary at least in mundane situations
devaloki 2 months ago
cis man, trans man
I'm a dapper dan man
Doinge 2 months ago in playlist More videos from ZJemptv 10
At the risk of opening myself up here, I wonder if the real issue isn't that we need more labels, but (perhaps ideally) need less... on the order of none. I mean, I am not trans, but at the same time, I'm not really cis, either. I don't entirely feel comfortable placing a label on myself, because psychologically i fill many different parts of the spectrum. And that's just it. It's a spectrum. No one is really all of anything, and we know and accept this, until it comes time to affix labels.
Strosester 2 months ago
I find the term " freak" to be more accurate and appropriate .
hanksnow82 2 months ago
@easygoingbloke101 "Storm in a tea-cup."
Raising consciousness that cis men do not have exclusive right over the word man is an important issue for people who are trans and are also men. ZJ frequently makes videos about LGBT issues, and that includes trans issues. If they are so insignificant to you, then why are you subscribed or even bothering to comment.
iamlilyy 2 months ago
@easygoingbloke101 'Useful in technical context"
The lives of trans people are not technical or academic. These are words used frequently in discourse between trans people, just as gay people use the term "straight people" orders of magnitude more than heterosexuals do.
iamlilyy 2 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@easygoingbloke101 "cis"people need to take on board as part of their everyday self-description.
Who the hell is asking you to do this?
"It's like having a word for being not a person living in Kiribati'
Are you a child that has not developed out of the egocentric state of cognitive development? What if you are from Kiribati? Obviously having words is going to be pretty damn important.
iamlilyy 2 months ago
Is Tranny a slur? I didn't know that...
pkemrin 2 months ago
tranny
jlf115 2 months ago
I have a friend who is like a sister I refer to as my cissy
SephieRothe 2 months ago
Sounds like someone's not very good at damage control.
PerilocutionAZ09 2 months ago
Hi... I only just started watching your videos today, but I must say, YOU'RE AWESOME :D Though I am sorry to see how much crap you get in your comments sections... I guess it just shows that you're doing something right, you're stepping all over people's sense of entitlement and privileges, and that pisses them off. So keep up the good work ;)
onionpiepandarune 2 months ago
this is my first time to this channel, and I have to ask...are you a guy? Your voice is so completely off from a woman's (both in pitch and speaking style) that I can only think that you're either a guy in drag or the audio is not from the same person as the person in the picture.
I'm not really trying to offend if I am, the video is just a little weird.
Influx27 2 months ago
@Influx27 Look at YT channel.
jcac1023 2 months ago
@jcac1023 I did. I didn't see anything that said one way or another. The closest I came to a "Sex : " was a line that reads "Call me 'she'. Or 'he'. Either is fine."
Not sure, but I'm guessing that this means the person in the video might be a pre-op transexual (might just be a transvestite though). I'm saying pre-op since the voice is distinctly not a woman's. Either that or s/he is post-op and isn't taking the estrogen nor the necessary voice lessons to make the outward change complete.
Influx27 2 months ago
At first i was like :/ then i was like :/, i ended up like :/
mephisto40 2 months ago
You lost me at the word cis.
laurennbbz 3 months ago
I'm not sure whether I'm glad or not that this page hasn't been taken over by bronies. On the one hand, it would've detracted from the message you're trying to get across. On the other hand, there'd be less posts in the comments section that make me want to rage against the screen.
bobbiwib 3 months ago
ohk stop taking the pills from the movie limitless.
iFiggie 3 months ago
you know I love you and think you are the most coherent person on YouTube but I don't like seeing you taking on someone's kids at such a young age when you could be talking and writing to change the world. I want you to have love in your life but a drinker with kids? damn.
gorilladogs 3 months ago
you are extremely eloquent. I approve of this video. (from a cisgender :D)
abottoir 3 months ago
@easygoinbloke101 Yes, I agree with you, and I think ZJ is getting a little over the edge on this stuff. It's how we treat and respect (or disrespect) each other. I find myself naturally a person who tends to have difficulty dealing with people as groups rather than individualizing. I try to put myself in someone else's shoes (to the best of my ability) and that only works with individuals.
christo930 3 months ago
I heard cis-trans and instantly thought chemistry :|
I
AM
1-2DICHLORO-ETHENE!!!!!
SketchBass 3 months ago
@SketchBass also on a serious note, if there is 2 groups * simplising this for simplicities sake* surely BOTH require a title to give context? >.>
or am I drunk on mead again?
SketchBass 3 months ago
Rainbow DASH!
OmegaKira 3 months ago
Your an asshole
Typhoon800 3 months ago
I'm sorry ZJ, but I have to disagree with you here. Straight and non-trans is the default position and it applies to over 90% of the population. Just like us atheists have to point our selves out as atheists because the rest of the population is some sort of theist, gays and trans-gender people have to identify themselves. If you think we are ever going to get to a point where people identify themselves as straight cisgender, you are mistaken.
christo930 3 months ago
@christo930 "If you think we are ever going identify as straight cisgender, you are mistaken."
That is not the point of the term. Its not an identity label, its a useful word to have when discussing trans issues and making generalisations, comparing and contrasting cis and trans people. Obviously trans people need words like this when communicating about anything. They are not about to say "default people-this, normal-people that". Take yourself out of your frame of reference for one moment.
iamlilyy 2 months ago
@iamlilyy I thought about even before I posted it (about people having to refer to everyone else as "normal" or something) and I agree that it isn't fair, to a point. But you can just as easily say "oh, john's not a tranny'" or something like that. Just like we have to acknowledge that we are different as atheists, trans and gays have to do the same. In the end, it's not that big of a deal.
christo930 2 months ago
@christo930 when something is common there is no term for it even though it is still there. for example, in the skincare/makeup field aestheticians are described as simple "she" (normal). but if a male is to be an aesthetician they don't say simply aesthetician they say "male aesthetician". it is the same with racial culture. most shows are whites but it's not called "white shows" but if it's mostly black characters it's called "black entertainment". cisgender is an approriate term
devaloki 2 months ago
@devaloki This is all well and good, but I am still never going to call myself a cisgender and I don't think it will ever be a widely used word. That was really my main point.
christo930 2 months ago
@christo930 obviously. when somethings the majority there's no need to have a term for it, except from the point of view of a minority person perhaps
devaloki 2 months ago
Zinnia, this video is absolutely fantastic!
BigBlueLion 3 months ago
@Jaelra
The "whole story"!? We got that in 2003. Written, signed and published. The article was called "Bad Tranny", and is available on The Stranger.
No amount of squirming will set Savage free of this; he's done. His career is over. No longer can he pretend to be the expert on queerness. He's old news. Part of an old age of well-to-do queer men from the seventies that are waking up to find they're no less square than G.W. Bush and no more knowledgeable than a horny teenager.
MsMeggamine 3 months ago
Well, after learning what the word means, I find it hard to see such a word as offensive. Besides, I'd been wondering what a non-trans person word be called without it being a mouthful.
Jaybird196 3 months ago
@phantonfan What makes you think that bisexuals are not born that way too? And who cares if they aren't. The haters will hate them and claim that they are choosing to be bisexual or gay regardless.
afornase22 3 months ago
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Im gay and I hate Bisexual and so should you and all homesexuls why?
Because they ruined the whole it's not a choice defence.
phantonfan 3 months ago
it's a trap
igrenade 3 months ago
I don't see all the problems around this anyway. You have to be a homophobe in order for the word homosexual to be insulting to you anyway, etc.
I'm not really following this argument of this Aravosis guy either, it makes no sense to me :/
CrimsonRefractions 3 months ago
I enjoyed the way in which you used the word “entitled” at the end of your video. Far too often I have listened to feminists (Watson), minorities, and arguers use that term inappropriately. Whenever I state something that is either misunderstood or ignorant it has been pointed out that the statement “shows how entitled [I] am.” The term in that context is used as an ad-hominem. But by saying the statement is described as “entitled” it doesn’t all of a sudden close down discussion. Thank You
GingerAtheist 3 months ago
I am cis...this video is very well done. I feel the need to say, on behalf of intelligent, compassionate cis people everywhere, that I'm so, so sorry that so many of my fellow cisgendered folk are so ignorant and mean-spirited. For what it's worth, very many of us cis people are allies. Don't let the assholes make it seem like we're all this awful.
By the way, you are incredibly articulate.
RachelHC 3 months ago
WOOOW U SURE LIKE TO WASTE YOUR LIFE WITH SHIT
volnutt333 3 months ago
What?!
Are you man?
cataloniaq8 3 months ago
@cataloniaq8 Does it matter? You do realize that a binary representation of gender is largely a social construct, right? There are many ways to define a "man". There are people I consider men who you would not, and people you consider men who I would not. Generally though, go with what the person tells you they identify as.
Tamugetsu 3 months ago
Holy shit, Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory is a tranny!!!!
thejobloshow 3 months ago
@thejobloshow First of all, while "cisgendered" is not a slur, "tranny" is often considered one. Try not to use it.
Second of all, that show would be incredible if Zinnia were a part of it.
Tamugetsu 3 months ago
Oooh! Word etymology - fun stuff! Maybe Zinnia could find time to show us how modern coined terms such as "homosexual" and "homophobia" have become bastardized and misappropriated in modern society? Or how the terminology "transgender" differs from "transsexual"... Would be interesting - I love your take on things! Keep it up, ZJ!
TheBasementAtheist 3 months ago
New things scare people.
aphoxema 3 months ago
Cis sounds allot like 'sis' and could be mistook for insinuating sissy. And I can see why that would be offensive to straight or non-fem gay guys. Though I myself as a cis non-fem gay man see no reason to be offended by a word that just describes me, without adding negative attributes to what I am.
PeaceInAfrica 3 months ago
*brohoof* from a panasexual pegasister!
mornmeril 3 months ago
Right again, Zinnia.
NobodysOffTheHook 3 months ago
Ah Zinnia, helping save the world from ignorance, again! Keep up the fantastic work xXx
mercuryneedle 3 months ago 12
I would just like to say I have never heard of this word before now and it makes sense to me. If there is a light, there is a dark; if there is a homosexual, there is a heterosexual; if there is a transgender, there is a cisgender.
Also, I just laughed so had when my spell check suggested changing cisgender to transgender.
DragonGreenFire 3 months ago 8
As a note, while I am 100% behind cis is fine, it should be noted that Dan Savage was absolutely not being transphobic - this has been a pretty heavily misunderstood situation. If you read this post it is pretty clear there is a lot of hysteria going on here. Search "On glitter transphobia and hate speech" and it is the first result in Google, where you can get the whole story. I think it would be worthwhile to include that at least in the description, show as not to pass on bad info.
Jaelra 3 months ago 2
Wow... really gay cis people? As a bisexual cis person myself, may I shake my head in shame at this nonsense? It's a word. An accurate word. It's not offensive until you all decide to pull your panties up in a bunch over it. It's not like the trans community got together and said, "And from here on, all non-trans gay people shall be called "faggotybumfuckers". THAT would be a valid excuse to bitch and moan.
In short: Get back to campaigning for equality, and stop whining over semantics.
Bttscks 3 months ago
I'm glad I've just learnt that term. Until now, I've been forced to refer to non-transgender people as 'normal', which probably is a slur.
SoundOfScilence 3 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I just found this video, What are you?
ludicer 3 months ago
Oh cool, my vocabulary just grew. :)
TheViciousSquare 3 months ago
ZJ I'm VERY surprised that you do not realize that there is no such a thing as a bad word: ? there are only descriptive words used in inappropriate, divisive, and/or accusatory tones. And then there are people who are offended at the context and declare those words bad. Happened here? Absolutely.
Now you could have taken the high road and said both Aravosis and Hill-Meyer were wrong in various ways, but I see instead you chose to draw party lines and play political games.
klutterkicker 3 months ago
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klutterkicker 3 months ago
RAINBOW DASH T-SHIRT, YOU JUST GOT 20% MORE AWESOME!!!
peteroshiri 3 months ago
RD shirt? Zinnia just got 20% cooler.
Sorry, I know the video is important and I listen to it, but that shirt... gosh I need one.
nyarlotep 3 months ago 18
excellent video :0)
credencedawg 3 months ago
I'm on the fence on this one... Whilst I see it could be exclusive to label transgender people whilst assuming that all other people are 'normal', it seems like a big jump to invent a word for said 'normal' people... despite the fact that the word 'normal' could imply abnormality, 'cisgender' doesn't fare much better.
alexvegas 3 months ago
@alexvegas
no such thing as "normal"... nobody on earth will fit into EVERY majority.
TheBrentagon 3 months ago
@TheBrentagon I'm not talking about every majority though, I'm talking about gender issues. I didn't say anything about other distinguishing features.
alexvegas 3 months ago
@alexvegas cisgender isn't a word for normal people though. It's a word for cisgendered people.
TheBrentagon 3 months ago
@TheBrentagon And cisgendered people are people whose physical gender is aligned with with the gender they feel, which can't really be called anything other than 'normal'. I'm sure there's a better word with less implications, but we've gone these many years without inventing a new one.
alexvegas 3 months ago
@alexvegas
What? Define the word "normal".
TheBrentagon 3 months ago
@TheBrentagon You're reading far too much into what I meant. Someone who is born with 6 fingers on a hand is different from the 'norm' in the same way as someone who is transgender is... doesn't mean it's a bad thing. We haven't invented words for people who don't have six fingers though.
alexvegas 3 months ago
@alexvegas
... That implies that cisgendered is the default while transgendered is the 'other' option, which isn't the case. It can either be one or the other, but the odds favour cisgendered.
Same with sexuality for example; it's not that heterosexual is the 'default' and homosexual is when it deviates from the default. It's that it can be either one, but odds may favour heterosexual.
TheBrentagon 3 months ago
@alexvegas Yes we have - pentadactyl, from the Greek for "five" and "finger".
Wilfire1961 3 months ago 2
@alexvegas I just realised what I said was not clear at all... It's hard to convey what I meant.
Basically, just because something is the majority doesn't mean we shouldn't have a word for it. What if transgenders were the majority? Would the situation be the same?
TheBrentagon 3 months ago
Zinnia, you are hands down my favourite philosopher. I woul rue to be on the wrong side of an issue with you to set me right. I 3 everything you do
:-)
GalacticChimp 3 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
As a gay “Cis–gendered” male I would like to say that I don’t find this word offensive and that John Aravosis does NOT speak for me of other gay men like me. It pisses me off to see infighting between different members of the GLBT community as it only damages the community and the fight for all of our rights gay and trans alike.
TheLumafairy 3 months ago
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TheLumafairy 3 months ago
Zinnia, your body of work just keeps making me proud to be who I am. Thank you.
rrrandommman 3 months ago 2
Did I miss something? Are straights, gays, theists, atheists, cats and dogs all getting along now in perfect harmony in a world of tolerance? Everything must be rosy if the term cisgender is the "slur" Aravosis is most worried about.
xdassinx 3 months ago
"Energy is a word that is transforming the reality of the muppets into the world of non consuming beings that need consuming beings to bring them to life...wait, I'm drunk."- Albert D. Xavier
MrBeautifulba1 3 months ago
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Whoa...children items?
xXelmoscaresmeXx 3 months ago
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xXelmoscaresmeXx 3 months ago
Ok but on the part about some men being trans, is this referring to women who are mentally masculine and are transgender and identify as men and therefore are "trans men", or the people who are born with male organs but feel like a woman hence (assuming 99% of any question of who you are is in your personality) are actually women? Because I wouldn't use "man" to describe them if they wouldn't do it themselves. Whereas cisgender men are !00% just that, mentally and originally "a man".
DepressedAnnnie 3 months ago
@DepressedAnnnie I'm not trying to argue with what's being said, I would just like a little clarification of what makes you "a man" if you're transgender.
DepressedAnnnie 3 months ago
@DepressedAnnnie It refers the person's inner gender identity. So trans men are men born with "female" equipment and vice-versa.
sasugakirin 3 months ago
@sasugakirin That makes sense. Thank you!
DepressedAnnnie 3 months ago
Well said ZJ! A new word is just a new word and I AM cisgender and don't consider it a slur or negative. It is merely a descriptor and I guess I just don't have the time or brain power to worry about things as much as some people :)
Winkfield 3 months ago
I just learned a new word. Thank you Zinnia. :)
broadchannelisland 3 months ago
That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.
GinnyStoleMyMan 3 months ago
I have had people use it as if it was a slur, but I just giggled a little.
ristoril 3 months ago
It's a Cis, Cis, Cis, Trans World
marasu66 3 months ago
All these words I have to memorize about myself. African-American, agnostic, American, amniote, animal, ape, atheist, black, bright, catarrhine, chordate, deuterostome, Earthling, eukaryote, heterosexual, hominid, _Homo sapiens_, liberal, male, man, methodological naturalist, omnivore, placental mammal, primate, Roman Catholic (baptism is for life, sucker!), sarcopterygian, straight, synapsid, teleostome, tetrapod, vertebrate, Virgin Islander, West Indian, ...
and now, cisgender!
RickySTT 3 months ago
@RickySTT
"Roman Catholic (baptism is for life, sucker!)"
Zinnia will explain how it's not: watch?v=P3HE7mWQOzU
Quintinohthree 3 months ago
Aravosis rubs me the wrong way on so many issues, this is just another one of the ways. Amazing vid. I so admire you.
wawa2 3 months ago
YOUR SHIRT I LOVE.
TheUchihaGirl 3 months ago
Nice job, Zinnia. Awesome video. Keep up the good work.
richaldeano 3 months ago
Well, I learned a new word today! This is such a great improvement for the recognition of transgendered people, because, as you said Zinnia, with the term 'cisgender', we can't think of cis-people as being the 'default' mode anymore.
Aemys 3 months ago
I'll admit that as a heterosexual male, ignorant to much of the homosexual culture in general, it did take a while for Zinnia's point to sink in. The context of the first 3 minutes of the argument was a bit much, considering how I never knew about this argument even existing. However, as often I find with Zinnia's speeches, the last moments do such a compelling job of trying it all together. For a topic I thought I wouldn't care about...I'm now immersed and less ignorant than before. TY, Zinnia!
LQFlanders 3 months ago
Yeah! Frickin cistard doesn't know what he's talking about. Trololololololol
PureInertia 3 months ago
All transphobia and actions motivated by it are held by humans, so by the Aravosis logic Human is now a slur against Homo-Sapien Sapiens.
CisGender is not a term i would be offended by.
FattyMcFox 3 months ago
Even if, for the sake of argument, "cisgendered" isn't a "real word", does that make it automatically offensive? Many dictionaries contain "nigger". So if "cisgendered" isn't real and "nigger" is, does that make "nigger" innocuous and "cis" offensive?
kissfan7 3 months ago
It is a slur to those of us who don't have a gender identity who are oppressed because of our biological sex and want to get rid of the gender paradigm that polices our behavior as humans.
iremythpurr 3 months ago
@iremythpurr
How are you oppressed? Because someone on the internet told you to "GB2T kitchen"? Maybe if you feminists had different tactics rather than complaining like babies and worshipping victimhood you would be taken seriously. Truly powerful women that I know do not have your failing mindsets. Crybabies who demand respect never get put in positions of power b/c the fact that they have to ask for it means that they never earned it.
SockPharmacy 3 months ago
Reminds me of the Louis CK line, "Oh man, called me a cracker. Brings me back to the days of owning people and property. Ruined my day."
kaimialana 3 months ago
Some people are idiots, that's all I can say.
It's like saying 'you're not a goat' and taking it badly.
bombygriz 3 months ago 2
no disrespect but my question is this...you are transgender, but have a girlfriend (assuming she is a she) so does that make you straight? I say that lovingly without disrespect but I am trying to understand...
danielson923 3 months ago
Awesome
dojohansen123 3 months ago
What would call someone in between?
MistressArte 3 months ago
@MistressArte "Transgender" is used a lot as an umbrella term for anything other than "gender identity agrees with physical sex", which is what cisgender basically means. Otherwise, it depends on what you mean by "inbetween".
ZanderSchubert 3 months ago
@ZanderSchubert Not really feeling overly girly but not feeling guy like either, like androgynous.
MistressArte 3 months ago
@MistressArte Than maybe you're genderqueer. Take a look at genderqueerid{dot}com/what-is-gq and genderqueerid{dot}com/gq-terms and see what you think. There's heaps of gender variability out there, so look around and see what you find that fits you best. ^.^
ZanderSchubert 3 months ago
@ZanderSchubert I guess I feel more Bigender then anything, I'm attracted to both guys and girls and have moments where I like things obnoxiously cute and then there's the side of me that likes things that mostly guys like and hate things that the stereotypical woman should like. (Like 99% of kids, there is a rare one that doesn't irritate me, but I feel like I'm weird being female and saying ewew that baby looks gross can you put it back? I would want a refund on that it's icky.)
MistressArte 3 months ago
Maybe a German accent will nullify the debate. Just say "zis" instead of "cis" =-P (I kid, I kid). I read "Whipping Girl" a while back (recommend it, btw). Before that, I had no idea that the word cisgendered even existed. Afterward, I was like, "Huh, why would 'cis' be considered any more offensive than 'non-trans' or 'straight'?"
The word "cis" isn't to blame. My guess would be that John has had some bad run-ins with prejudice (happens to all good people =-/). His blame is misplaced.
AntipodalBrink 3 months ago