Cisgender

What it means

Gender identity is separate from sexual orientation: it's about who you are, while orientation is about who you're attracted to. Most people are cisgender. Naming it — rather than calling cis people 'normal' — avoids implying that trans people aren't. Cis people can be any orientation.

Where the term comes from

'Cis' is Latin for 'on this side of', the opposite of 'trans' ('across'). The term was used in academic writing from the 1990s and entered everyday language in the 2010s.

How it can look in real life

• A woman assigned female at birth who identifies as a woman.
• A cis gay man.
• A cis person who learns the term and finds it useful for describing their own experience.

These are examples, not requirements. People who use the same word can have very different histories, relationships and preferences — and nobody needs a particular amount of experience to know what fits.

Common myths

• 'Cis' is an insult — it's a neutral descriptor, like 'straight'.
• Being cis means having no relationship to gender — everyone has a gender identity.

Talking about it with a partner

Cis people can support trans and non-binary partners by asking about language and comfort rather than guessing.

It helps to talk about specifics — what closeness, touch, exclusivity and privacy mean to each of you — rather than expecting a label to answer those questions. Either person can decide something isn't right for them, and nobody owes intimacy to keep a relationship going.

Sexual-health notes

• Standard screening based on your organs.
• Cis people benefit from the same frank conversations about consent, testing and contraception as anyone.

Health advice should follow your body and the activities you actually do, not a label. A clinician can help with testing, vaccines and barriers — and you deserve care that doesn't judge.