Twitter/X censored the word “cisgender” more than any actual slur this week

X, formerly known as Twitter, has suddenly decided to crack down on individuals who use the term “cisgender,” TechCrunch reports.

Users report seeing a popup in response to usage of the term “cis.” It says, “This post contains language that may be considered a slur by X and could be used in a harmful manner in violation of our rules.” In addition, X restricted the post’s visibility in many cases.

Related:

X is the worst social media app for LGBTQ+ people, says new report

It scored lower than TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, and Instagram.

This does not seem to consistently be the case, as LGBTQ Nation has been unable to replicate this. Them reported similar findings earlier this week, suggesting that the warning may have ceased in response to pressure.

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This type of enforcement has not been seen for racist, antisemitic, or anti-LGBTQ+ slurs.

“[X owner] Elon Musk has been engaging in this disingenuous and inherently bigoted effort to redefine this term for nearly a year,” a representative for GLAAD said in a statement. “The list of his hate-driven rhetoric and behavior is too long to even list.” 

The spokesperson continued, saying that the warning seemed to be “another of Musk’s endless exercises in catering to his new right-wing extremist user base of X — one more coded, but very clear, signal from the company that transgender people are not welcome on the platform.”

Many users still continued to post the terms “cis” and “cisgender,” just censored in different ways.

well if we can't say c1sgender on here anymore we'll just have to come up with an actual slur for you all

— lauren (@Very__Regular) May 21, 2024

Musk stated last June that he considers “cisgender” a slur and will ban it from Twitter. He has opposed using the term “cisgender” since December 2022, when he publicly criticized it in an interview, saying he was not cisgender.

He doubled down after users called him “cissy” and “cis” shortly after.

Cisgender was coined in 1994 by a cisgender woman. It was constructed from the prefix “cis-” in Latin, which means “on the same side,” or the opposite of “trans-.” It is not considered a slur by any civil rights organization.

Musk has previously supported anti-LGBTQ+ influencers on the site and has opposed protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, threatening to repeal anti-discrimination policies after individuals like Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok have criticized them.

The site has previously featured an advertisement that called for the death of gay people.

In GLAAD’s recent report on social media safety, X scored the lowest out of any other social media site measured. This was due to its lack of policies that protect LGBTQ+ individuals, often disproportionately targeting the LGBTQ+ community in enforcement.

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