All activist struggles aren’t made up of rallies with thousands of folks – sometimes just creating inclusive space for folks in everyday life can be a powerful activist action.

Find out more at A Call For Cisgender Activism, the piece that inspired this post!

A lot of folks understand what it means to be “straight” or “gay” the term “cisgender” or “cis” is not as well known. Cisgender is an identity that came out the trans* movement, as a way to describe folks whose assigned at birth sex matches their gender identity. It brings into question the idea that identifying as a woman or man is apolitical or “normal”. It creates a way of understanding gender that is in flux, that disrupts the common woman/man gender binary. It also opens space for folks who are trans*, two spirited or gender queer, dashing assumptions. 

Cisgender folks can take a lot of action in their daily lives to create inclusive spaces for others like:

  • Introducing yourself with your name and gender pronoun. ie “Hi my name is Dom and my pronouns are he and him”. Not only does this open space for folks to offer up their own pronouns, but it also offers an opportunity for you to discuss the importance of pronouns with someone who might not have encountered this before.

 

  • Don’t ask intrusive questions. It should go without saying that respect is something everyone deserves. It can be hard to tell how open someone is about their gender, so tread carefully, be respectful and come from a place of care. 

 

Add more in the comments!