Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, recently ignited a firestorm of controversy by declaring the terms "cis" and "cisgender" as slurs on the platform. This decision followed a complaint from cultural commentator James Esses, who claimed he was being harassed by activists using these terms.

Musk's announcement, made via tweet, stated that repeated targeted harassment using these terms would result in temporary suspensions, at minimum. Esses had previously tweeted about his objection to the term "cis," leading to a barrage of messages from activists using the term and its derogatory variations.

This move quickly became a trending topic, with Esses publicly thanking Musk for acknowledging his concerns. However, the situation escalated as Esses reported receiving a wave of hateful messages and death threats in response to his initial tweet and Musk's subsequent action. He criticized those sending the messages for their hypocrisy, highlighting their quickness to label others as bigots while engaging in hateful behavior themselves.

A Twitter poll conducted by the account The Rabbit Hole revealed that a significant majority of respondents agreed with Musk's classification of "cis" as a slur. Musk himself responded to the poll, emphasizing the widespread rejection of the term.

Adding fuel to the fire, journalist Genevieve Gluck highlighted the controversial background of the term "cisgender," linking its origin to Volkmar Sigusch, a German sexologist with widely condemned views on child sexuality. Musk responded to Gluck's tweet, dismissing Sigusch and urging people to disregard him.

While Musk's decision sparked widespread debate, he clarified that individuals are still free to use the term to self-identify. This clarification, however, did little to quell the ongoing discussion about the nature of slurs and the power of language on social media platforms.

Twitter owner Elon Musk announced that platform users could face suspensions for using the terms "cis" and "cisgender." (Justin Sullivan)

Elon Musk announced on Twitter that the words 'cis' and 'cisgender' will be considered slurs on the platform after a cultural commentator claimed to be the target of activists over his objection to the words.  (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Twitter currently defines a slur as language that "intends to degrade or reinforce negative or harmful stereotypes about a protected category." (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto, CARINA JOHANSEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images (Photo illustration))