Self-described “free-speech absolutist” Elon Musk has declared that the terms “cis” and “cisgender” will now be “considered slurs” on Twitter.
The billionaire, who bought the social media platform and disbanded its Trust and Safety Council in December, was replying to a user on Tuesday who claimed to have been targeted by trans rights activists after tweeting to say he rejected the word “cis.” Cisgender, or simply cis, is an adjective that describes a person whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Transgender, or simply trans, is an adjective used to describe someone whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth.
Musk later commented on a Twitter poll asking if “cis” is a slur in which 78 percent of respondents voted “yes.” “People overwhelmingly reject this obvious slur that bigots are trying to impose,” Musk tweeted.