The researcher who invented the term 'cisgender' has hit back at "cowardly" Elon Musk for calling the term a slur. 'Cis' or 'cisgender' was coined by now-retired researcher Dana Defosse. They are used to describe someone whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth. It is not offensive or intended to be used as an insult. Defosse first used the term in a 1994 internet forum, before being added to the Oxford English Dictionary much later in 2015. In an essay for HuffPost, Defosse explained how she invented the term: "I knew that in chemistry, molecules with atoms grouped on the same side are labelled with the Latin prefix ‘cis–,’ while molecules with atoms grouped on opposite sides are referred to as ‘trans–.’ So, cisgender. It seemed like a no-brainer," she wrote. On Wednesday (21 June), Musk responded to a user who claimed to have been harassed by trans rights activists. Twitter user James Esses said he "rejected" the terms after receiving "a slew of messages from trans activists calling me ‘cissy’ and telling me that I am ‘cis’ ‘whether or not I like it.’" In response, Musk tweeted: "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." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The tech mogul's response left many social media users baffled, with Defosse saying it came as no surprise after his "ghastly history of attacking trans people." “The post on Twitter has degenerated into a sort of free-for-all for antisemitic and racist tropes, so it sort of fits in with the direction that platform is going," Defosse said. "The fact is, whether or not somebody identifies as cisgender doesn’t negate the fact that cisgender identity is a valid construct. It exists, and it has meaning in how we operate in the world." The retired researcher went on to call his censorship attempt "cowardly". "Banning use of a word that’s part of our daily vocabulary around the world, that appears in the Oxford English Dictionary, it’s a cowardly and futile attempt to censor an idea which is, in my opinion, way bigger and more enduring than anything Musk could hope to offer," she added. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The North American wolverine will receive long-delayed federal protections under a Biden administration proposal

Charlie Culberson reached on an infield single in his first game back with the Atlanta Braves.Sometimes, you just need an opportunity, man...It had been six weeks since Charlie Culberson started riding pine for a living in the Atlanta Braves' dugout. The Dansby Swanson lookalike had bee...

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Iran on Saturday amid a rapprochement between the

DUBAI (Reuters) -Saudi Arabian state oil giant Aramco reported on Monday a near 38% drop in second-quarter net profit on

Jason Voorhees has been portrayed by multiple actors in movies

Kimberly Van Gundy, spouse of former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy has passed away unexpectedly at the age of 61 leaving behind their four children

Prosecutors claim that the killings were a result of a gang action while the defense says that the allegation lacks credibility

A beaming Pope Francis arrived in Lisbon on Wednesday for a gathering of some one million youths from around the world as the Catholic Church reflects on its future, greeted...

Mercuria Energy Group’s ship-fueling business Minerva Bunkering started deliveries in Egypt, becoming the first international service to enter

John B. Goodenough, the Nobel Prize-winning engineer whose contributions to developing lithium-ion batteries revolutionized portable technology, has died. He was 100.

Valentina Shevchenko will try to regain the UFC women’s flyweight title from Alexa Grasso this weekend, nine months after the Mexican took the belt from her. Shevchenko, 35, was on a nine-fight win streak and seen as one of the most dominant champions in the UFC, until Grasso shocked the Kyrgyzstani fighter in March. Grasso, 30, submitted Shevchenko in the fourth round to become Mexico’s second undisputed UFC champion, and she is now her nation’s only reigning title holder. She will bid to retain the gold against Shevchenko on Saturday, as the pair headline a Fight Night event in Las Vegas – marking a rare move for the UFC, which typically saves title bouts for pay-per-views. Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is the event? This week’s UFC Fight Night will take place on Saturday 16 September, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The prelims are set to begin at 12am BST on Sunday 17 September (4pm PT, 6pm CT, 7pm ET on Saturday), with the main card following at 3am BST (7pm PT, 9pm CT, 10pm ET on Saturday). How can I watch it? The card will air live on TNT Sports in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Odds Grasso – 13/10 Shevchenko – 8/13 Full odds via Betway. • Get all the latest UFC betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) Main card Alexa Grasso (C) vs Valentina Shevchenko 2 (women’s flyweight title) Kevin Holland vs Jack Della Maddalena (welterweight) Raul Rosas Jr vs Terrence Mitchell (bantamweight) Daniel Zellhuber vs Christos Giagos (lightweight) Fernando Padilla vs Kyle Nelson (featherweight) Prelims Loopy Godinez vs Elise Reed (women’s strawweight) Roman Kopylov vs Josh Fremd (middleweight) Edgar Chairez vs Daniel Lacerda (flyweight) Tracy Cortez vs Jasmine Jasudavicius (women’s flyweight) Natan Levy vs Alex Reyes (lightweight) Josefine Knutsson vs Marnic Mann (women’s strawweight) Read More Sean Strickland shocks Israel Adesanya and MMA world with title win at UFC 293 Israel Adesanya’s coach reveals strange request after shock loss to Sean Strickland Two fighters apologise for using homophobic slurs at UFC 293 GB Taekwondo to pick ‘best person’ as Olympic selection dilemma looms Khabib coach predicts Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler outcome What is TKO? The UFC and WWE merger explained