As someone who is trans, and has spent most of her life thinking about what that means, it’s easy to forget that to a lot of people this is something completely new. There are new words, new thoughts and new questions, and it can make many people feel le behind, or out of the loop when it comes to trans awareness. Sometimes people want to ask questions to find out more, but feel worried to do so, because they don’t want to seem ignorant, or risk upsetting others.
Sometimes though, questions do need to be asked, to break down barriers, and to further mutual understanding and respect. The questions below are all real questions, from readers of DIVA and also from trans people’s experiences.
What does cis mean?