Twitter users weigh in on Elon Musk banning “slurs” like “cis” and “cisgender” on social media app

Angel Saunders
·4 min read
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Elon Musk
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For as long as Elon Musk has been associated with Twitter, he’s been associated with controversy. Yesterday (June 20), he caused an uproar on the microblogging app when he announced terms like “cis” and “cisgender” are now considered “slurs” and are no longer allowed.

His revelation was in response to a message by a man named James Esses. “Yesterday (June 19), after posting a tweet saying that I reject the word ‘cis’ and don’t wish to be called it, I receive a slew of messages from trans activists calling me ‘cissy’ and telling me that I am ‘cis’ ‘whether or not I like it.’ Just imagine if the roles were reversed,” he wrote. “Cisgender” refers to a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex registered for them at birth. Musk responded, “Repeated, targeted harassment against any account will cause the harassing accounts to receive, at minimum, temporary suspensions. The words ‘cis’ or ‘cisgender’ are considered slurs on this platform.”

The comments immediately sparked a debate. “Do people sometimes use ‘cis’ in an insulting way? Sure. But insulting does not equal a slur. For example, I can call Elon a thin-skinned fool whose cloying need for acceptance by the most tedious people on the planet is frankly embarrassing. And none of that is a slur,” one person wrote. In the spirit of not taking anything seriously, a user added, “Elon, please also consider outlawing any negative speech about dogs.” Another asked, “Is there a full list of slurs which are unacceptable under Twitter’s free speech policy?”

Others took offense to the tech CEO’s new rule. “Posted tonight by Elon Musk, during Pride Month: ‘The words ‘cis’ or ‘cisgender’ are considered slurs on this platform.’ This platform has become increasingly hostile to 2SLGTBQIA+ folks, and it is going to escalate,” a concerned user claimed. Another sarcastically said, “Pretty cool how I can get called the N-Word on here regularly but can’t say ‘cis.’ Awesome stuff, Elon.” One summed their feelings up by tweeting, “Elon Musk is a Cisgender Cissy.”

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