Misconceptions about Radfems
"Radical feminism is just misandry."
Radical feminism is first and foremost about *women*, not men. Men just happen to be the number one threat to women, and we must discuss that given that we are fighting for our rights. Much of the community is about female positivity and not just the negative side of things. Also, misandry is not real.
"TERFs believe infertile women/women who've had hysterectomies/women who've had mastectomies aren't women."
No. Lots of people like to say that TERFs reduce women to their biology and ability to reproduce, but that claim came out of nowhere. Ask any self-identified TERF and they will tell you they only have one singular condition for being a woman: being female.
"TERFs are right wing."
Absolutely not! They may disagree with most progressives on one singular issue, but that does not make them conservative or right wing. All radfems are progressive, given that fighting for women's rights is an inherently progressive thing. All radfems I've met are economically left-leaning as well.
"Donald Trump/Ben Shapiro/any transphobic person is a TERF."
The 'RF' in TERF stands for 'radical feminist'. First off, most radfems do not believe men can be radical feminists in the first place. Even if they could, these men are misogynists and thus ideologically opposed to radfems. Conservative men are opposed to transgender ideology because they find it scandalous, against their religion, contrary to the traditional nuclear family that they idolise, etc. TERFs on the other hand oppose it because (in its mainstream iteration at least) it erases sex-based oppression and villainises women for things like having sexual preferences.
"TERFs are against gender non-conformity/want to uphold gender roles."
This is the total opposite of the truth. Radical feminists believe in gender abolition, with gender non-conformity being part of that ultimate goal. Radical feminists are also against conforming to beauty standards, shaving, wearing makeup, etc., all examples of gender-conformity for women. Part of the reason many radical feminists disagree with gender ideology is because we believe that you do not need to change yourself if your outward expression does not "match" your sex according to society. Many radical feminists are themselves GNC.
"Radical feminism is white feminism."
Another demonstrably false but commonly repeated sentiment. Radical feminists hail from all backgrounds and countries. Let's not ignore how many of the women crucified for being TERFs or "misandrists" have been Black women. Most radical feminists also highly value intersectionality in their activism.
"All radfems are transphobic."
Radical feminists are not a monolith and have different views on different issues, including different levels of tolerance and acceptance for the transgender community. Let's also not forget how the average TERF is a lot less detrimental to the well-being of trans people than the average transphobic man, who is often violent.
Thank you to @doingitatmybirthdaydinner @its-terf-or-nothin @a-lesbian-feminist and @iotaaurigae for helping with this post!
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