A “cisgender” person is someone who is not transgender—that is, a person whose biological sex and the social expectations tied to it are treated as aligned. Detransitioners who once identified as transgender now overwhelmingly reject the label “cisgender.” They say it paints non-trans people as uniformly comfortable with their sex and 100 % compliant with gender stereotypes, a picture they find false. As one detrans woman put it, “No one is 100 % content with their sex… The ‘cis’ people described by the trans community don’t exist. No one conforms to gender expectations 100 % of the time” (goldenharedbrat).

Others note that accepting “cis” feels like accepting an ideological brand rather than a neutral descriptor. “When someone uses the term ‘cis’, I can automatically guess their political views… ‘Cis’ basically translates to ‘I subscribe to gender ideology’” (DraftCurrent4706). Many therefore prefer simply to be called women or men, without extra labels, while acknowledging that in practical conversation “cis” may be used to mean “not currently transitioning.”