America has become a society of labels.
Recently I attended an event where I learned a new label, Cisgender. Cisgender is a term for someone who has a gender identity that aligns with what they were assigned at birth. The term was created for referring to "non-transgender" people without alienating transgender people.
Who knew?
Our identities are getting way more complicated.
History and Evolution of the Hyphenated American
Hyphenated designations in the United States were originally meant as a disparagement of certain groups: German-Americans, Irish-Americans, Japanese-Americans, Chinese-Americans. The insinuation, and disparagement, was that these groups were loyal to a foreign country rather than the United States.
Today, many groups have chosen to identify themselves as hyphenated Americans to demonstrate their pride in their ethnicity: African American, Afro-American, Chicano American, Latino American, Indian American, Indo-American, Native American, Arab American, European American, etc. The list goes on and on. A few years ago I heard Anglo-American for the first time. Even the very groups that were hyphenated for disparaging reasons in the past, now wear their heritage hyphens with pride.
But have you ever heard someone label themselves as a Christian American? Have you verbally called yourself a Christian American?
Recently I attended an event where I learned a new label, Cisgender. Cisgender is a term for someone who has a gender identity that aligns with what they were assigned at birth. The term was created for referring to "non-transgender" people without alienating transgender people.
Who knew?
Our identities are getting way more complicated.
History and Evolution of the Hyphenated American
Hyphenated designations in the United States were originally meant as a disparagement of certain groups: German-Americans, Irish-Americans, Japanese-Americans, Chinese-Americans. The insinuation, and disparagement, was that these groups were loyal to a foreign country rather than the United States.
Today, many groups have chosen to identify themselves as hyphenated Americans to demonstrate their pride in their ethnicity: African American, Afro-American, Chicano American, Latino American, Indian American, Indo-American, Native American, Arab American, European American, etc. The list goes on and on. A few years ago I heard Anglo-American for the first time. Even the very groups that were hyphenated for disparaging reasons in the past, now wear their heritage hyphens with pride.
But have you ever heard someone label themselves as a Christian American? Have you verbally called yourself a Christian American?