Hello, I have a question as a fellow radfem!^^
I’ve been struggling to find the right people to talk to about this, since most of the radfem spaces I’m in are strictly trans exclusionary and I worry that asking questions like this might get me pushed out. I haven’t really shared my views on trans people yet, which is probably why I’m still welcome in those spaces.
As a gender abolitionist (which I am), it makes sense to oppose the concept of transgenderism, since the term itself is rooted in gender. And if we believe gender is a social hierarchy that needs to be abolished, then yes, I get why many radfems are critical of transgender ideology.
But what about transsexuals? That’s where I feel conflicted.
While I fully understand that biological sex is immutable, chromosomes can’t be changed. But I still believe transsexuality is valid in its own right. Not as a mental illness, but as a legitimate and personal experience that some people go through.
I’ve used the label trans-exclusionary radical feminist before because I do believe biological women should have their own spaces and I don’t think trans women should compete in women’s sports. But at the same time, I feel uncomfortable with how quick TERFs are to dismiss TIRFs or even people like me who just want to ask questions. They’re often called libfems or even misogynists, which feels overly hostile.
So my question is, why do trans exclusionary radical feminists think the way they do? And why is there such a strong rejection of nuance, especially when it comes to transsexuals?
Before I answer, know that I am not taking this from any actual speech, literature, etc. because quite frankly all my radfem exposure comes from tumblr. But for the record, I study social science and I’ve written multiple A-level essays relating to this subject.
My answer to your question is that there is not just one answer.
There are some of them who are just transphobes hiding behind the term “feminist”. This goes for any of them who just ignores actual data, rage baits, enforce that women are just their bodies or biological functions, and similar things. In some situation it’s even just straight anti feminist. This is also the reason I usually ignore any terf that interacts with my tirf content, because it’s like arguing with a pro russia bot on TikTok.
There is also the fear and fear mongering, I believe. If we believe everyone that’s AMAB is inherently evil and there is nothing we can do to change society (which is false if we look at history), and being a woman is defined by experiencing abuse and misogyny, it will create hate for anyone with a penis. It is true that in a lot of places in the world, being a woman is the last thing you’d wanna be. But instead of targeting trans women, who in there countries are probably equally as hated, we need to demount those cultures and values that oppress women.
Like you mentioned, I too agree with some things that are usually seen as TERF ideology. That lesbians should be allowed to choose wether they only wanna date women who have vaginas, for example. But there’s a point when it’s not about that, and instead using inherently anti-trans dialogue. I also thing feminism should be about the liberation of women, not transgender people. But trans women are women in their right, and in discussions like these it’s good to bring it up. A lot of TERFs complain about trans women, and then go on about how radfems talk so much about trans women instead of cis women. Like check yourself, maybe?
But I am gender critical, if that’s the right term for this discussion. You can’t choose wether to be born with a penis or vagina, or both if you’re intersex. Gender identity on the other hand, is much more vibrant. There are historical records of trans and non-binary people, thousands of years ago. To think all trans women are just men dressing as women because of a fetish is desinformation and transphobic.
If people like TERFs continue to make femininity to be a certain thing or experience, it will just end up excluding and targeting cis women in the end. See how Imane Khelif was treated in the Olympics because she was considered looking too masculine. Plus the fact that saying “real women have boobs” “real women have cycles” is exclusionary to for example cis women who have had their breasts removed surgically due to cancer, women who don’t get their cycles due to medical conditions, etc. This, along with the usually blatant disregard for actual facts and data, is the reason I usually see those TERFs as conservatives calling themselves feminists.
The point is, a lot of TERFs aren’t actually gender abolitionists. Many of them believe there are things that make you a woman, things that make you a man and nothing in between. Of course you can’t change what you were born as or your chromosomes. But modern culture and expression is. True gender abolitionism in my eyes is denying femininity and masculinity as concepts altogether, and any gender roles tied to them.
