Three elements of cisfeminism: Arrogant perception, will to power and attachment

Drawing on Black and women of colour feminist and transfeminist critique, this article advances a definition and analysis of cisfeminism. It begins from the premise that cisfeminism is feminism for cis women. This could involve positing and defending binary sex as a ‘biological reality,’ but it does not have to; cisfeminists may hold a variety of ontological positions on sex and gender and may not be ‘TERFs’ or ‘gender critical.’ Rather, cisfeminism is any feminism that comes from a cis perspective and universalises it. The article draws on Mariana Ortega’s work on ‘loving, knowing ignorance’ to outline the contours of cisfeminism as an epistemic practice. Beyond this, it argues that cisfeminism has a will to power, and cisfeminists may find themselves invested in governmental projects such as the census. Finally, it argues that this attachment can underpin some feminists’ conversion into overt trans-hostility. As such, cisfeminism identifies forms of feminist transphobia that are not ‘gender critical’/‘TERF’ and a latency that, when the right levers are pulled, can act as a recruitment aid for organised transphobia.