Yes, TERF is a slur

“TERF” is supposed to be an acronym: trans-exclusionary radical feminist. According to the original usage, it’s meant to apply to a radical feminist who chooses to exclude male-to-female trans persons from their feminist activism.

That is not how “TERF” is used at all today. It’s clearly a dehumanizing, pejorative term used against anybody who disagrees with transgender ideology. This is always framed as “transphobia." 

TERF is applied to anyone, not just radical feminists

"TERF” has come to mean anyone who opposes transgender ideology but those who use the word still explain it to mean a type of radical feminism. “TERF” has now started to be used as general slang to describe someone with transphobic views.

Most of the people tarred as “TERFs” not only aren’t radical feminists, but most probably have no idea what radical feminism is. For that matter, most of those employing the slur don’t understand radical feminism; they are merely repeating what they were taught. 

“TERF” has been used to describe someone who has perpetrated violence or harm against a trans person. Radical feminism has nothing to do with that, yet it is used unjustly in a negative context.

TERF is an oppressive word

Every day TERF is used in the following oppressive contexts:

• Telling a person to die (violence)
• Telling a person to shut up (silencing)
• To bully and exclude someone (ostracizing)
• To blame for the cause of oppressive behavior (scapegoating)
• To intentionally misrepresent someone’s ideas or beliefs

Users of “TERF” often justify their use by telling the target “stop being a shitty person.” This is circular reasoning: a person is “shitty” because they are a “TERF,” and they are a “TERF” because they are a “shitty” person. 

TERF is a straw man argument

Radical feminists are gender abolitionists. They are not “transgender-exclusionary”, they are “gender exclusionary,” so even the premise “TERF” stands on is faulty. At minimum, a correct abbreviation would be GERF, for gender-exclusionary radical feminism. 

Radical feminism is a woman-centric ideology. They are completely justified in excluding males from their activism and from their spaces. 

Women are oppressed by patriarchy. Radical feminism is one path towards liberating women and ending oppression. Radical feminists have every right to exclude members of the class of people (males) who are privileged by the system feminists seek to overturn. 

Trans women are part of the class “male.” We are low status members and we share some of the oppressions experienced by females, but it is useless to deny that we have benefitted from the system of patriarchy. 

Understanding how trans women experience male privilege is not transphobic. In fact, every trans woman owes it to herself to give this matter some serious thought. We are “excluded” from radical feminism not because of our biology, but because we don’t have an equal stake in women’s liberation. We cannot be equal partners, and so we should not be invading that political space to prioritize trans issues.

Radical feminists do not hate trans women

There is a lot of conflict between radical feminists and transgender ideologues. Arguments break out and harsh words are sometimes exchanged (but nearly all the violence is unidirectional). 

That said, radical feminists do not hate trans women. Most radical feminists acknowledge the suffering dysphoria causes. All radical feminists want to end the oppressive gender system that normalizes violence against gender non-conforming people. 

In a world where this conflict wasn’t being exploited for personal gain (*cough* Transadvocate *cough*), there would be much more mutual support between the two communities. 

Words like “TERF” prevent the groups from talking. “TERF” most definitely is a slur. Anyone is justified in not engaging with someone who uses oppressive slurs against them. The lie that radical feminists hate trans women is reinforced each time someone uses that word. 

Talk about actions, not labels

First of all, stop ostracizing someone because your friend called them a “TERF”. This perpetuates a “thought crime” culture and encourages narrow-minded assumptions instead of actual thinking and engagement.

If you see something you disagree with, think about why you disagree instead of leaping to use a label. If you find yourself reaching for a slur, wake up! That is lazy thinking. Use your brain instead. 

TERF is a slur. Anyone who says differently is selling something.