Elon Musk has expressed his belief that the terms “cis” and “cisgender” are deemed offensive on Twitter, stating concerns about potential risks associated with their use.
For those unfamiliar with these terms, “cisgender” is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as describing individuals whose internal sense of gender aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth.
In response to Musk’s tweet, renowned author J.K. Rowling shared her perspective on the matter via Twitter on June 21.
She wrote, “Cis is ideological language, signifying belief in the unfalsifiable concept of gender identity.”
Rowling further added, “While you have the right to believe in unprovable essences that may or may not correspond with one’s biological sex, the rest of us reserve the right to disagree and decline adopting this terminology.”
Elon Musk echoed Rowling’s sentiments, responding with a simple “Exactly” to her tweet. The internet community became divided in response to Rowling’s comment, with some users criticizing her viewpoint and others expressing appreciation for her stance.
One user suggested, “Have you considered practicing kindness?” Another user commented, “It is hypocritical for an author, who employs words to convey stories, to reject a word that has served as an adjective for over three decades and then expect her followers to do the same.”
Another user stated, “JK, it is not jargon; just consult the dictionary.” There were also individuals who sided with Musk and Rowling, as one user remarked, “You hit the nail on the head with that one.”
Additionally, another interjected, “It’s curious how discussions surrounding ‘cis,’ ‘he/she,’ ‘they/them,’ and ‘it/bit’ seem limited to the ‘West,’ while other regions remain relatively quiet on these topics.” Rowling made her comment after Musk declared that the terms “cis” and “cisgender” would be considered slurs on his social media platform.
At the time of the latest count, her tweet had garnered over 17 million views, nearly 193,000 likes, and received approximately 11,000 replies. One of these responses came from billionaire Musk himself, who simply stated, “Exactly.” Later on, he tweeted, “Expelliarmus!,” alluding to Harry Potter’s iconic spell.
Fellow author John Boyne joined the discussion by expressing his agreement, stating, “I couldn’t agree more. If someone were to label me ‘cis’ directly, I would promptly correct them. Fortunately, it is primarily an invented term predominantly used online, and I have never personally encountered its use in real-life situations.”
However, another fellow author and advocate for gender critical perspectives, Louise Mensch, remarked, “I concur with your standpoint, and I assume you would also agree that @elonmusk should not censor this term, regardless of its misguided nature.”
Earlier on Wednesday (June 21), Musk responded to another user who claimed to have been subjected to bullying due to their rejection of the term “cis.” In response, the Tesla magnate declared, “Persistent and targeted harassment towards any account will result in, at the very least, temporary suspensions. The words ‘cis’ or ‘cisgender’ are regarded as slurs on this platform.”
