Cissexuality
Cissexuality – a term used to denote the correspondence between a person’s gender identity and the sex assigned to them at birth, especially in contrast to transsexuality.
The term was introduced to make visible the position that had previously been treated as natural, neutral, and unmarked: the situation in which a person’s bodily sex, assigned sex, and gender identity are socially understood as coinciding.
Unlike cisgender, which is now the more common and generally preferred term, cissexuality is more closely connected with older sexological and medical discussions of transsexuality. For this reason, it is often best used in historical, theoretical, or critical contexts rather than as an everyday designation.
Cissexuality should not be confused with sexual orientation. It does not describe whom a person is attracted to, but rather the assumed correspondence between sex assigned at birth and gender identity.
See also: Cisgender, Cisgender Privilege, Transsexuality, Transgender, Cissexism.
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