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I'm not trans, but if someone labels themselves "radical" they've gone too far.
Keep living your best lives, you deserve it
Is radical a bad word? Its use is generally associated with revolutionary politics. The usage of the term by TERFs stems from second wave feminist theory. They have to specify that they are Trans Exclusionary to distinguish them from radical feminists as a whole, who are not necessarily Trans exclusionary.
But TERFs aren't radical. There is nothing 'radical' about transphobia.
Agreed. Only its obsolete connotation — hazardously unmeasured zealotry — would apply.
That they describe themselves as the positive kind of radical unironically speaks to how deeply they misunderstood feminism from the start.
speaks to how deeply they misunderstood feminism from the start.
Well, they did and didn't. They are stuck in the past. 2nd wave feminism and current day white feminism. It's, not good, but it's not exactly 'misunderstanding' just focusing on entirely the wrong things.
That or yeah, they're lying about being feminists, which... considering they side with and use fascist talking points wouldn't exactly be surprising.
I could see that, and I’m sure you’re right that it’s a mixed bag, ultimately. Also I agree that it’s a common misunderstanding among second wave feminists.
I just meant that a key thread in their prejudice appears to be a kind of reciprocal othering or tribalism which accepts the imposition that gender is defined by sex, and thus interprets the struggle against the patriarchy more literally as a form of societal trench warfare. From that perspective, there can be no trans women by definition, only untrustworthy defectors who leapt over the proverbial trench, and a proper #radical feminist won’t forget and will keep her vigil.
Pulling that thread would seem to unravel their transphobia to reveal internalized misogyny, since they misunderstood feminism as misandry from the start.
It’s just a guess, however. I am young and often wrong.
Excellent points!
Likewise!
AFAIK, TERFs don't usually describe themselves as TERF, they just call themselves feminists, sometimes also 'radical'.
They did originally, the term has just become loaded as time goes on and so they've generally switched to the term "gender critical", amongst others.
a common understanding of radical by self described radicals is "targeting the root of an issue" or the "wanting large systemic changes" that follows from that.
for radical feminists this means recognizing patriarchal power structures as the root of most gender related opressions and wishing to overcome them. while we can critique their exact analysis, i think the idea that many opressive acts are symptoms of deeper systemic opressions maked a lot of sense.
please don't let opressors convince you that liberation in itself goes too far. a better world is possible and the struggle for it is righteous.
How dare anyone stand against the status quo, am I right?