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User:LokiTheLiar/TERF Draft

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This page is about the acronym "TERF". For a broader discussion of related issues, see Feminist views on transgender topics. For the telomere-binding proteins, see TERF1 and TERF2.

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TERF (/ˈtɜːrf/, also written terf) is an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist. Coined in 2008,[1] the term was originally applied to a minority of feminists espousing sentiments that other feminists consider transphobic, such as the rejection of the assertion that trans women are women, the exclusion of trans women from women's spaces, and opposition to transgender rights legislation. The meaning has since expanded to refer more broadly to people with trans-exclusionary views who may have no involvement with radical feminism.[2][3]

Those referred to with the word TERF typically reject the term or consider it a slur; some identify themselves as gender critical.[4] Critics of the word TERF say that it has been used in insults and alongside violent rhetoric.[5][6] In academic discourse, there is no consensus on whether TERF constitutes a slur.[5][6][7]

Coinage and usage[edit]

Trans-inclusive cisgender radical feminist blogger Viv Smythe has been credited with popularizing the term in 2008 as an online shorthand.[1][3] It was used to describe a minority of feminists[8] who espouse sentiments that other feminists consider transphobic,[2][3][9][10] including the rejection of the view, predominant in feminist organizations, that trans women are women, opposition to transgender rights, and the exclusion of trans women in women's spaces and organizations.[11]

Smythe has been credited with having coined the term TERF, due to a blog post she wrote reacting to the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival's policy of denying admittance to trans women. She wrote that she rejected the alignment of all radical feminists with "trans-exclusionary radfem (TERF) activists".[1] In a 2014 interview with The TransAdvocate, Smythe said:

It was meant to be a deliberately technically neutral description of an activist grouping. We wanted a way to distinguish TERFs from other RadFems with whom we engaged who were trans*-positive/neutral, because we had several years of history of engaging productively/substantively with non-TERF RadFems.[12]

While Smythe initially used TERF to refer to a particular type of feminist whom she characterized as "unwilling to recognise trans women as sisters", she has noted that the term has taken on additional connotations, and that it has been "weaponised at times" by both inclusionary and exclusionary groups.[1] Though contested, the term has since become an established part of contemporary feminist speech.[13]

Today, the term is sometimes used to refer to anti-transgender feminists in general, not anti-transgender radical feminists in particular.[2][3] The term TERFy has also been used to describe things "that queer millennials deem uncool" such as bangs.[14]

Opposition to the word[edit]

Feminists described as TERFs generally object to the term and sometimes refer to themselves as gender critical.[4][6][15]

Some self-described gender critical feminists say they cannot accurately be described as trans-exclusionary because they say they are inclusive of trans men.[16][17] Often, these feminists gender trans men as women.[18] Writing for Socialist Worker, American feminists Danelle Wylder and Corrie Westing say that this position is "divisive and contradictory" and that it represents "transmisogynist ideology".[19]

The 2018 UK All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Hate Crime received several submissions that indicated a high degree of tension between trans activists and feminist groups opposed to transgender rights legislation, with both sides detailing incidents of extreme or abusive language. The report noted that some women had submitted reports which argued that "women who object to the inclusion of trans women as female are being attacked both online and, in the street, with the term 'trans-exclusionary radical feminist' or (TERF) being used as a term of abuse."[20]

Slur debate[edit]

The people at whom the word TERF is directed often characterize it as a slur or hate speech.[4][21][22] In a July 2018 solicitation of essays regarding "transgender identities", British magazine The Economist required writers to "avoid all slurs, including TERF", stating that the word is used to try to silence opinions and sometimes incite violence.[23]

Transgender rights activist[24] and philosophy of language professor Rachel McKinnon has called the idea that the word is a slur "absurd", saying that just because a word can be used pejoratively towards women does not mean it is a slur in general.[7]

In August 2018, seven British philosophers wrote on the website Daily Nous that two articles by Rachel McKinnon[7] and Jason Stanley[25] published in the journal Philosophy and Phenomenological Research normalized the term. They described the term as "at worst a slur and at best derogatory", and argued that it had been used to denigrate those "who disagree with the dominant narrative on trans issues".[5][6][26] In response, Ernest Sosa, the journal's editor in chief, stated that scholars consulted by the journal advised that the term could become a slur at some point, but that its use as a denigrating term in some contexts did not mean that it could not be used descriptively.[6]

In a 2020 paper published in the philosophy journal Grazer Philosophische Studien, linguists Christopher Davis and Elin McCready argue that three properties make a term a slur: it must be derogatory towards a particular group, it must be used to subordinate them within some structure of power relations, and the derogated group must be defined by an intrinsic property. Davis and McCready write that the term TERF satisfies the first condition, fails the third condition, and that the second condition is contentious, in that it depends on how each group sees itself in relation to the other group.[27]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Smythe, Viv (28 November 2018). "I'm credited with having coined the word 'Terf'. Here's how it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 April 2019. Due to a short series of blogposts from 2008, I have retrospectively been credited as the coiner of the acronym "Terf" (Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists) ... a shorthand to describe one cohort of feminists who self-identify as radical and are unwilling to recognise trans women as sisters, unlike those of us who do.
  2. ^ a b c Lewis, Sophie (7 February 2019). "Opinion | How British Feminism Became Anti-Trans". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 May 2019. If the idea that transphobic harassment could be "feminist" bewilders you, you are not alone. ... With time, the term TERF has become a catchall for all anti-trans feminists, radical or not.
  3. ^ a b c d Miller, Edie (5 November 2018). "Why Is British Media So Transphobic?". The Outline. Retrieved 3 May 2019. The truth is, while the British conservative right would almost certainly be more than happy to whip up a frenzy of transphobia, they simply haven't needed to, because some sections of the left over here are doing their hate-peddling for them. The most vocal source of this hatred has emerged, sadly, from within circles of radical feminists. British feminism has an increasingly notorious TERF problem. ... The application of the term has shifted somewhat over time to encompass most people espousing trans-exclusionary politics that follow a particular "TERF logic," regardless of their involvement with radical feminism.
  4. ^ a b c Vasquez, Tina (17 February 2014). "It's Time to End the Long History of Feminism Failing Transgender Women". Bitch. Bitch Media. Retrieved 13 April 2019. [Cathy] Brennan, fellow attorney Elizabeth Hungerford, and other modern-day feminists continue to actively question the inclusion of trans people in women's spaces. These feminists refer to themselves as "radical feminists" or "gender critical feminists." In 2008, trans women and trans advocates started referring to this group as "trans-exclusionary radical feminists" or TERFs, a term Brennan considers a slur.
  5. ^ a b c Allen, Sophie R.; Finneron-Burns, Elizabeth; Leng, Mary; Lawford-Smith, Holly; Jones, Jane Clare; Reilly-Cooper, Rebecca; Simpson, R. J. (24 September 2018). "On an Alleged Case of Propaganda: Reply to McKinnon" (PDF). representative examples of derogatory uses of the term: 'kill all TERFs'; 'shoot a terf today'; 'all TERFs deserve to be shot in the head'; 'somebody slap this TERF c*nt across the face'; 'literally kill all TERFs' ... To summarize, we've considered three specific accounts of slurs, Anderson and Lepore's account which appeals to whether those targeted by the term take it to be a slur, Nunberg's account on which slurs signal in-group membership, and Swanson's account on which slurs cue harmful ideologies. We've argued that 'TERF' is a slur on all three of the specific accounts surveyed. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e Flaherty, Colleen (29 August 2018). "'TERF' War – Philosophers object to a journal's publication 'TERF,' in reference to some feminists. Is it really a slur?". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 12 April 2019. While the term has become controversial over time, especially with its often hateful deployment on social media, it originally described a subgroup of feminists who believe that the interests of cisgender women (those who are born with vaginas) don't necessarily intersect with those of transgender women (primarily those born with penises)...TERF 'is widely used across online platforms as a way to denigrate and dismiss the women (and some men) who disagree with the dominant narrative on trans issues...Targeted groups include 'lesbians who merely maintain that same-sex attraction is not equivalent to transphobia,' and 'women who believe that women's oppression is sex-based, and are concerned about erasing the political importance of female bodies...."
  7. ^ a b c McKinnon, Rachel (7 March 2018). "The Epistemology of Propaganda" (PDF). Philosophy and Phenomenological Research. 96 (2): 483–489. doi:10.1111/phpr.12429. many contemporary TERFs accuse trans women of coining the phrase/term—and, ludicrously, claim that 'TERF' is a misogynistic slur. ... The idea—it seems to be—is that 'TERF' is a term used to denigrate women, and so it is a slur. However, this is an absurd, nonsensical view of the nature of slurs.
  8. ^ Stryker, Susan; Bettcher, Talia (2016). "Introduction: Trans/Feminisms". Transgender Studies Quarterly. 3 (1–2). Duke University Press. doi:10.1215/23289252-3334127. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  9. ^ Dastagir, Alia (16 March 2017). "A feminist glossary because we didn't all major in gender studies". USA Today. Retrieved 24 April 2019. TERF: The acronym for 'trans exclusionary radical feminists,' referring to feminists who are transphobic.
  10. ^ Bollinger, Alex (19 December 2018). "Famous lesbian site taken over by anti-trans 'feminists'. Now lesbian media is standing up". www.lgbtqnation.com. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  11. ^ O'Connell, Jennifer (26 January 2019). "Transgender for beginners: Trans, terf, cis and safe spaces". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  12. ^ Williams, Cristan (1 May 2016). "Radical Inclusion: Recounting the Trans Inclusive History of Radical Feminism". TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly. 3 (1–2). Duke University Press: 254–258. doi:10.1215/23289252-3334463.
  13. ^ Hines, Sally (17 February 2019). "The feminist frontier: on trans and feminism". Journal of Gender Studies. 28 (2): 145–157. doi:10.1080/09589236.2017.1411791. ISSN 0958-9236. S2CID 149145967.
  14. ^ Wilson, Lena (16 August 2018). "Do I Have to Give Up Lesbian History to Participate in Queer Culture?". Slate. TERF, as an insult, has become so far removed from its original activist intentions (rightly criticizing trans exclusion in feminism) that, at this point, it's also a word for anything that queer millennials deem uncool. Things I've seen called "TERFy" on Twitter and Tumblr include tampon ads, the word "female," the non-word "womxn," Janelle Monae's "Pynk," the Venus symbol, bangs, Jill Stein, Cardi B, and … trans women.
  15. ^ Goldberg, Michelle (9 December 2015). "The Trans Women Who Say That Trans Women Aren't Women". Slate. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  16. ^ Flaherty, Colleen (29 August 2018). "'TERF' War – Philosophers object to a journal's publication 'TERF,' in reference to some feminists. Is it really a slur?". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 12 April 2019. Allen objected ... 'most radical feminists who are apparently described' by the term TERF are inclusive of trans men, and so are not 'trans-exclusionary' anyway, she said.
  17. ^ Kennedy, Natacha (15 December 2016). "Anti-Trans Activism – Not What It Seems". Progress. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2019. Beyond that, it's also entirely inaccurate, radical feminism is inclusionary of trans men (who are female by birth), it only excludes males—as a female liberation movement ...
  18. ^ Cava, Peter (12 May 2014). Erickson-Schroth, Laura (ed.). Activism, Politics, and Organizing. Oxford University Press. p. 568–569. ISBN 978-0199325351. Some feminists have perceived transmasculine people as traitors—that is, as women who identify politically with men. When inclusive of trans men, these feminists have often gendered them as women. Conversely, these feminists have tended to perceive transfeminine people as infiltrators of womanhood and of women's space. Many commentators refer to feminists who think in these ways as 'trans-exclusionary radical feminists' (TERFs). {{cite encyclopedia}}: |work= ignored (help)
  19. ^ Wylder, Danelle; Westing, Corrie (21 August 2018). "Terfs Have No Place on the Left". Socialist Worker. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019. It is worth noting, however, the divisive and contradictory position they held, wherein trans men were allowed on the land because TERFs considered them 'women-born' as part of their transmisogynist ideology.
  20. ^ All Party Parliamentary Group on Hate Crime (2019). "How Do We Build Community Cohesion When Hate Crime Is On The Rise?" (PDF). House of Commons of the United Kingdom. p. 25. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  21. ^ Compton, Julie (14 January 2019). "'Pro-lesbian' or 'trans-exclusionary'? Old animosities boil into public view". NBC News. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  22. ^ Goldberg, Michelle (4 August 2014). "What Is a Woman?". The New Yorker. Retrieved 20 November 2015. TERF stands for 'trans-exclusionary radical feminist.' The term can be useful for making a distinction with radical feminists who do not share the same position, but those at whom it is directed consider it a slur.
  23. ^ "Transgender identities: a series of invited essays". The Economist. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2019. In the interests of fostering open debate we have set ground rules, both for essays and reader comments: use the pronouns people want you to use, and avoid all slurs, including TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist), which may have started as a descriptive term but is now used to try to silence a vast swathe of opinions on trans issues, and sometimes to incite violence against women.
  24. ^ "Transgender women in sport: Are they really a 'threat' to female sport?". BBC Sport. 18 December 2018.
  25. ^ Stanley, Jason (7 March 2018). "Replies". Philosophy and Phenomenological Research. 96 (2): 497–511. doi:10.1111/phpr.12427.
  26. ^ Weinberg, Justin (27 August 2018). "Derogatory Language in Philosophy Journal Risks Increased Hostility and Diminished Discussion". Daily Nous. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  27. ^ Davis, Christopher; McCready, Elin (4 March 2020). "The Instability of Slurs". Grazer Philosophische Studien. 97. Brill Publishers: 63–85. doi:10.1163/18756735-09701005. Retrieved 25 March 2020.

External links[edit]

  • The dictionary definition of TERF at Wiktionary
Wikiquote has quotations related to Trans exclusionary radical feminism.


Category:Acronyms Category:Discrimination against LGBT people Category:English words Category:Feminism and transgender Category:Feminist movements and ideologies Category:Feminist terminology Category:LGBT slang Category:LGBT-related controversies Category:Radical feminism Category:Slang terms for women Category:Women-related neologisms Category:2008 neologisms

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