do you believe that the terms BLERF and PLERF are acceptable to describe people who do support bi/pan lesbains? it’s resemblance to TERF is undeniable and, as it seems, many “B/PLERFs” (1) don’t subscribe to Radical feminism and (2) are LGBT+ themselves. If you find these terms unacceptable, what do you recommend to replace them with?
(i assume u meant "people who Dont support bi/pan lesbians")
honestly most of the time when ive seen BLERF/PLERF used is as "insults" when someone doesnt even fall under the ideology of a radfem, which ive seen a lot from the usage of TERF as well, and i dont think thats a good way to use these things at all. theyre not words to throw around for anything thats disagreeable- which ive seen too often for calling out supposed "-phobias" in the community too- theyre for certain kind of mindsets that is of a radical feminist. these are supposed to be serious words to point out bad things people think/do but they keep just being used for petty back-and-forth namecalling. (also the point of them usually being lgbt+ themselves is null, theres a lot of lesbian/bi TERFs. ppl can be in the community and still be dicks to other parts of it)
theres a difference between someone being a radfem and someone spreading radfem rhetoric. radfem rhetoric has seeped into a lot of average groups of the community, that doesnt mean that theyre all automatically radfems- and calling them such is just going to put them on the defensive for labeling them something theyre not, and probably something theyre vehemently against too (and dont realize theyre mimicing things from). aka theyre not going to be listening at all. its a lot better to point out that something theyre saying is radfem rhetoric than calling them a radfem bc it directs the situation to what theyre saying instead of them as a person.
so until people learn that throwing words around like this- esp just to be insults- really doesnt help and dillutes their meaning, i dont really like the usage of BLERF/PLERF. and i dont think many people really take them seriously to begin with, esp from how theyre often inaccurately used. i think "radfem/political lesbian rhetoric" is better to be using to point out against anti-mspec lesbian stuff.
