Cisnormativity

verb, noun

To affirm for the first time that one is not cis.

Voicing may coincide with coming out, or it may precede coming out on the order of several years. Voicing describes when a trans person first distinguishes themselves from cis people. To voice oneself might precede any self-awareness of concepts like “trans”, “transgender”, “transsexual”, or “gender non-conforming” — such as when a CAFAB child confidently maintains that they are a boy. Voicing signals one’s visceral, unassailable self-awareness that they are trans.

Voicing is unique to the life experiences of trans and gender non-conforming people, as it affirms how an omnipresent cissexism inherent to the cisnormative corridors systemically disrupts and interferes with a trans person’s own self-paced path toward their healthy transition.