What’s a terf?
Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist. People who misuse the label of ‘feminist’ as an excuse to be sexist and transphobic, primarily (though not exclusively) against trans women.
Is it really inclusive when an inclusivity term includes the word exclusionary?
no it’s just hate and division. everyone so concerned with genitals that the corpos are squeezing every last drop of life force from us
The problem with fixating on TERFs is that they do not have political power (in the US at least.) TERFs don’t actively call for trans genocide in the way that conservative evangelical Christians do. It becomes the easy thing of dunking on feminists online.
I’ve also found that people throw the term TERF very freely. Part of that is that bad actors do pretend to be “TERFs” because it lets them be transphobic, without actually engaging with radical feminism. A TERF is trans exclusive because they believe that gender transition reinforces a gender binary. The concerns over “protecting women” can be rhetorically the same, but the motivation is different. There can be some fellow travelers (Posey Parker) - but I think at that point it’s more of a mask off rejection of the feminist part.
I don’t agree with TERFs, and think their ideology can be harmful, but I also think that the obsession with them is a waste of time. Rowling’s books were never good, and it was time to grow up long before she started staying stupid shit online. If people spent half the energy they do bitching about a children’s book author actually advocating for trans rights, maybe we wouldn’t all be intersex by EO.
dude TERF ideology has literally just been signed as an executive order. “DEFENDING WOMEN FROM GENDER IDEOLOGY EXTREMISM AND RESTORING BIOLOGICAL TRUTH TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT” what does that sound like to you? he’s weaponized TERF ideology to appeal to white women because it’s effective. just because the movement isn’t as bold faced in the US doesn’t mean it’s not there.
of course he’s not a TERF himself but fascists will weaponize any ideology they can and this is one of them. how do you get a group of women who previously wouldn’t care about trans women in the slightest to be riled up? perpetuate TERF propaganda of us using bathrooms as spots for predation, claim that they’re erasing womanhood whatever you wanna do. and that’s what they’re doing right now
What about that executive order is feminist? What about that EO at all indicates a familiarity with radical feminist beliefs? TERF is not the same as “all anti transgender people.”
Hey, look, kids! A sealion!
It’s a matter of target and vocabulary. I am trans. I’m not trying to distract from issues or ask bad faith questions.
The point is that TERF ideology is a non factor in the genocide being enacted against trans people. The ideology that is currently motivating the genocide of trans people is conservative dominionist Christianity. Of particular salience here, is the fact that the same motivating factors behind trans genocide motivate attacks on cis women, which a true TERF (and not an alt-right incel pretending to be one) would also be concerned about.
This kind of “lol punch a TERF”/using the term TERF to describe any transphobic belief system is counter to our goals. This is in part a fight over language and what words “mean” in an epistemological sense, and treating TERFs like they’re in lockstep with the Republican Party is foolish.
