"He sounds quite transphobic": David Fisman's cisgender tweet controversy explained as University of Toronto professor garners backlash

University of Toronto faculty epidemiologist David Fisman, known on Twitter as David CisMan is on the receiving end of major social media backlash. On Wednesday, June 21, David posted a viral tweet that simply contained the word, "cis" repeated 70 times. David Fisman's Twitter bio is also the word "cis", repeated 40 times.

Although the comments under his original tweet were restricted to only the people he follows on the platform, the tweet was reposted by multiple Twitter handles. On a re-post of the tweet by @libsoftiktok, netizens called out David for being "childish" and alleged that his tweet was provocative and offensive. The tweet comes after "cis" was confirmed as a Twitter slur by Twitter owner Elon Musk.

Minutes after he tweeted the viral "cis" tweet, he quote re-tweeted the same tweet and called himself an "overindulged manchild." He also replied in the comments section that he was loving the other quote re-tweets that mostly criticized his tweet.

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Netizens label David Fisman a "5-year old"

David Fisman's original tweet went on to amass over 7.3 million views. The tweet was quote retweeted on the platform by the popular Twitter account, Libs of TikTok. The re-tweet received over 5.4 million views.

Under the re-tweet by Libs of TikTok, Netizens commented that David Fisman was a "toddler' and a "coward." Some users even tagged the University of Toronto's official Twitter handle.

Under David's original tweet, those who were allowed to comment were supportive of the tweet and thanked David for making them laugh. The entire thread was filled with a lot of humorous cis-related jokes.

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David Fisman is a Harvard alumnus

According to a link provided on David Fisman's Twitter bio, he is a faculty member at the University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health. David is a tenured full member professor working in the epidemiology division of the institution. He also serves as a consultant in infectious diseases at the University Health Network.

David N. Fisman's research interests are detailed as follows -- epidemiology of infectious diseases, mathematical modeling and simulation, and decision analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis. His primary teaching responsibilities include Epidemiology I, Epidemiology of Infections Diseases, and Mathematical Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases.

In 2003, Fisman received the GlaxoSmithKline Elion Young Investigator Award for his work on mathematical modeling of s*xually transmitted infections. He was also the recipient of a Golden Apple award for teaching at Drexel University School of Public Health. David is in collaboration with local and international partners on modeling the dynamics and economics of s*xually transmitted infections.

David is a Harvard alumnus, having completed his masters in public health at Harvard School of Public Health. He completed his M.D. at the University of Western Ontario. David Fisman was also a part of the Ontario Covid-19 Science advisory table until 2021.

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Elon Musk confirmed that "cis" was a slur

The tweet comes after Twitter owner Elon Musk tweeted out that the terms "cis" and "cisgender" were confirmed slurs on Twitter. On June 21, user @JamesEsses tweeted about facing online abuse from trans activists after he posted a tweet, where he rejected the word "cis". This tweet went viral, amassing over 11.4 million views.

On the same day, Elon Musk responded to the tweet by saying:

"Repeated, targeted harassment against any account will cause the harassing accounts to receive, at minimum, temporary suspensions."

The tweet went on to amass over 27 million views.