Serious reading

I know I need to do some more fun and light-hearted stuff, and I honestly keep meaning to, but then things blow up or are brought to my attention, or I start following ideas and get sucked down the rabbit hole. Case in point: the newest (probably far-too-belated) concept I've been introduced to: "cis" - as opposed to "trans" - sexuality.

Until a recent kerfluffle amongst the Fat Acceptance community regarding ignorance of privilege, I had never heard of this terminology. It is a simple idea - just the notion of whether one identifies with one's genetic/biological gender, or not. Most people know what transsexuality is, but the flip side - cissexuality - is rarely explored because society says it is the norm (so what's there to talk about?).

I discussed it briefly - and ignorant of this concept - in my the bad and the good post. I didn't name the cis-privilege as such because I didn't know the concept, and am still working on realizing my personal blind spots when it comes to privilege. But what I was trying to explain was how someone privileged in this way should try to view those who live on the trans side of the world.

Because recent readings made me wonder WTF this "cis" concept was, I went searching. And I found this fantastic blog post that I feel should be required reading for everyone in this day and age:

http://juliaserano.livejournal.com/14700.html

PLEASE check it out. There are wonderfully simple explanations of terms and ideas, as well as why people might or might not choose to identify this way, and real-world stories and examples that bring it all home. The comment section is also highly informative.

My mind is open, but I am constantly being reminded by the world as to how far I have yet to go. I welcome the correction and education, because I know the distance I have already traveled on this journey. I can only hope that those of you reading this might accompany me along the way to a better understanding.