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Women's Liberation Front

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This article is about the American organization. For the Spanish organization, see Frente de Liberación de la Mujer.

The Women's Liberation Front (WoLF) is an American self-described radical feminist advocacy organization that opposes transgender rights and related legislation.[1][2][3] It has engaged in litigation on transgender topics, working against the Obama administration's Title IX directives which defined sex discrimination to include gender identity.[4] WoLF describes itself as radical feminist,[3] and according to its mission statement, it wishes to "abolish regressive gender roles and the epidemic of male violence using legal arguments, policy advocacy, and public education".[5] It has been described by news sources including The Washington Post, The Advocate, and NBC as feminist,[1][2][3] but progressive and feminist organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)[3]and the National Organization for Women (NOW)[6] challenge this characterization, with NOW describing WoLF, alongside Women's Declaration International, as "anti-trans bigots disguised as feminists".[6]

WoLF has been characterized by Vox, The New Republic, and La Presse as a "trans-exclusionary radical feminist" (TERF) group,[7][8][9] and it has been described as a hate group by the Gender Justice League[10] and the University of Wisconsin Law School QLaw student group.[5][11]

Structure and ideology

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WoLF was founded by author and activist Lierre Keith, who currently serves as its chair.[12] As of 2021, WoLF reported having nearly 1,000 members across the United States.[13]

The Women's Liberation Front's activism finds its source in second-wave feminist tendencies, such as those of Mary Daly and Janice Raymond, which consider transgender identities untrue and say that women are defined by "their biology and by having 'survived girlhood'", rather than by gender identity.[3] While considered a fringe group by the mainstream progressives, who say the group conceals an essentially discriminatory right-wing ideology under the guise of feminism,[3] the organization has found influence through collaboration with conservative groups on shared legislative views.[3][14]

Though the main focus of WoLF has been on transgender issues, it supports abortion rights, and favors action to combat violence against women and the introduction of the Nordic model approach to prostitution.[15] WoLF is opposed to the Equal Rights Amendment.[16]

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In August 2016, WoLF filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration for its directive on Title IX permitting students to use bathrooms based on their reported gender identity.[17] In their filing, WoLF stated that the Obama administration equated the terms "sex" with "gender identity" without evidence, and that, by doing so, the administration contradicted the intent of Title IX.[17] Following the election of Donald Trump, the directive was withdrawn. The suit ended in voluntary dismissal after WoLF withdrew from the suit in March 2017.[18]

WoLF has filed several amicus curiae briefs to the Supreme Court in opposition to transgender rights. WoLF partnered with the Family Policy Alliance (FPA) to file a joint brief in support of the plaintiff of G. G. v. Gloucester County School Board, opposing a lower court ruling in favor of Gavin Grimm, a trans boy who desired to use the boys' restroom at his high school.[2] The organization also filed a brief in R. G. & G. R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc., v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a landmark Supreme Court case involving the issue of whether the firing of transgender funeral director Aimee Stephens from Harris Funeral Homes constituted sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. WoLF's brief referred to Stephens as a man, and argued that sex should not be considered equivalent to gender identity;[19] WoLF also organized rallies in opposition to Stephens' case outside the Supreme Court in October 2020.[3][7]

In November 2021, WoLF filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation over its policy of permitting transgender, non-binary, and intersex prisoners to be detained in facilities corresponding to their gender identity.[20]

Alignment with right-wing organizations

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In 2016, WoLF received a $15,000 donation from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative Christian organization that opposes abortion and LGBT rights.[21]

In May 2017, WoLF partnered with the Hands Across the Aisle Coalition, Concerned Parents and Educators, and the Family Policy Alliance to submit a petition for rule-making to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, "to protect the safety and privacy of women in need of shelter due to homelessness or violence".[22]

In 2019, three members of WoLF appeared on a panel with conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation. The panel focused on the Equality Act, legislation pending in Congress that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.[1] Progressives criticized WoLF's participation in the panel, which included Jennifer Chavez reading "from a letter that described increased transgender visibility and acceptance as 'a social contagion all over the internet'".[1][2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Ring, Trudy (January 30, 2019). "Anti-Trans Feminists Appear at Panel of Right-Wing Heritage Foundation". The Advocate. Archived from the original on March 7, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Fitzsimons, Tim (January 29, 2019). "Conservative group hosts anti-transgender panel of feminists "from the left"". NBC News. Archived from the original on May 3, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Samantha, Schmidt (February 7, 2020). "Conservatives find unlikely ally in fighting transgender rights: Radical feminists". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 22, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  4. ^ Amelia, Langas (November 14, 2017). ""Radical" feminist organization criticizes ETHS transgender locker room policy". The Daily Northwestern. Archived from the original on March 7, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Lee, Mia (2021-02-24). "Inclusion of anti-trans group in UW employment fair sparks controversy". The Badger Herald. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  6. ^ a b "Even if Bigots Insist it is, Waging a Hate Campaign Against Trans People is Not Feminist". National Organization for Women. 25 July 2023.
  7. ^ a b Burns, Katelyn (September 9, 2019). "The rise of anti-trans "radical" feminists, explained". Vox. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  8. ^ Hachey, Isabelle (June 12, 2019). "La femme qui dérange". La Presse. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021. Fait étonnant, celles qui luttent avec le plus de véhémence contre les droits des transgenres ne sont pas des machos frustrés, mais… des féministes de gauche. Elles ont même un nom : les TERF, acronyme anglais pour « trans-exclusionary radical feminists ». [Surprisingly, those who fight with the greatest vehemence against transgender rights are not frustrated male chauvinists, but left-wing feminists. They even have a name: TERF, an English acronym for "trans-exclusionary radical feminists". In the United States, they formed WoLF, the Women's Liberation Front, and spoke of transgender people as a "social contagion".]
  9. ^ Bauer, Sydney (February 11, 2020). "The New Anti-Trans Culture War Hiding in Plain Sight". The New Republic. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  10. ^ "Event at Seattle Public Library causes firestorm, group accused of being 'hate group'". KIRO 7 News Seattle. 2019-12-11. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  11. ^ Kolowrat, Hayden (2021-02-01). "UPDATED: QLaw opposes Women's Liberation Front's involvement in UW Law interview program". The Badger Herald. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  12. ^ "Staff and Board". Women's Liberation Front. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  13. ^ Anita Noelle Green v. Miss United States of America, LLC, No. 21-35228 (9th Cir October 29, 2021).
  14. ^ Gevisser, Mark (June 27, 2020). "The front line of the new gender wars". Financial Times. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  15. ^ "Our Work". Women's Liberation Front. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  16. ^ "The Feminist Argument Against the Equal Rights Amendment". Women's Liberation Front. March 2021. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ^ a b Haywood, Phaedra (August 12, 2016). "Radical feminists sue Obama administration in New Mexico court over bathroom directive". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Archived from the original on March 8, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  18. ^ Joseph-Charles, Saeeda; Walz, Mackenzie. "Case: Women's Liberation Front v. U.S. Department of Justice". Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  19. ^ Paul, Crystal (December 9, 2019). "Amid outcry, Seattle Public Library weighs decision to provide venue for "radical feminist" event criticized as anti-trans". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  20. ^ Martinez, Christian (November 25, 2021). "Suit takes aim at law that lets transgender inmates choose housing based on gender identity". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  21. ^ Norris, Sian (2021-09-30). "The Far-Right Co-Option of the Transgender Rights Issue". Byline Times. Archived from the original on 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  22. ^ "Petition for Rulemaking to Protect the Safety and Privacy of Women in Need of Shelter Due to Homelessness or Violence" (PDF). May 1, 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
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