Twitter owner Elon Musk announced that the words “cis” and “cisgender” are now considered “insults” on the platform — and warned that people who use them face account suspension.
In response to a user who claimed to have been targeted by pro-trans activists, the billionaire made the brash statement on Wednesday — tweeting to say he rejected both terms.
The claim popularized the adjectives on Twitter, with Musk warning that they will be hate speech in the future. Their repeated use of referring a particular individual, he said, would serve as harassment.
Almost immediately, the claim sparked a chorus of approval on Twitter — with Musk later commenting on a poll asking if others agreed with his assessment. Seventy-eight percent voted ‘yes’.
Musk, 51, then tweeted to bash the German sexologist who crafted the sentences, which refer to someone whose gender identity matches their sex at birth. The same scientist – whom Musk called a “ghoul” – once wrote that “the sensuality that spontaneously unfolds between a child and an adult is a wonderful thing.”
Twitter owner Elon Musk has announced that the words “cis” and “cisgender” are now considered “insults” on the platform — and warned that people who use them could have their accounts suspended
Earlier in the day, Musk — currently abroad in China — was accused by Boreing of flouting freedom of speech for withdrawing the deal, which Twitter says stems from two scenes in particular
The heated discourse began with a tweet from James Esses, an anti-trans commentator, who complained on Musk’s website that he was being harassed by trans rights activists.
“Yesterday, after I posted a Tweet saying I reject the word “cis” and don’t want it mentioned, I’m receiving a slew of messages from trans activists calling me “cissy” and telling me I’m “cis”” whether I like it now,” Esses wrote early Wednesday morning.
“Imagine if the roles were reversed.”
The post quickly went viral and has since been viewed more than 5.6 million times.
Its popularity spurred Musk to weigh in.
“Repeated, targeted harassment of an account will cause the harassing accounts to be at least temporarily suspended,” the South African mogul wrote.
“The words ‘cis’ or ‘cisgender’ are considered slurs on this platform.”
Not only did the CEO’s claim get the terms trending on Twitter, but it soon garnered a response from the quirky tweeter that started the conversation in the first place.
He wrote, “Thanks for standing up for reality, Elon.”
Over the next few hours, several others expressed their gratitude to the outspoken Twitter boss for taking such a firm stance on the issue as the prevalence of two terms has increased in recent years.
As the conversation continued, one Twitter user posted a now-viral poll asking if they considered “cis” and “cisgender” insults — to which the vast majority said yes.
The heated discourse began with a tweet from James Esses, an anti-trans commentator, who complained on Musk’s website that he was being harassed by trans rights activists
As the conversation progressed, one Twitter user posted a now-viral poll asking if they considered “cis” and “cisgender” insults — to which the vast majority said yes
The results prompted another response from the famously flippant director, who noted that “people overwhelmingly reject this blatant slur that bigots try to impose.”
Musk also beat up the German sexologist who made up the sentences, Volmar Sigusch, in 1991. That same scientist – whom Musk called a “despicable creep” – once wrote that “the sensuality that spontaneously unfolds between a child and an adult is a wonderful thing.”
The claim popularized the adjectives on Twitter, with Musk warning that they will be hate speech in the future. Their repeated use of referring a particular individual, he said, would serve as harassment
The results prompted another response from the famously flippant director, who noted that “people are overwhelmingly rejecting this blatant slur that bigots are trying to impose.”