A “Gender Critical” and “TERF” Primer
for readers trying to make sense of “feminists versus transgender activists” debates
There are many strands of feminism: liberal, radical, lesbian, separatist, anti-pornography, sex-positive, poststructuralist, materialist, Marxist, womanist, intersectional, postcolonial, ecofeminist, to name but a few. Each of these strands defines the mission, scope, and focus of feminism somewhat differently. And within each strand, there may be further differences of opinion.
This essay is about one particular strand that is sometimes called “Gender Critical” (GC) or “Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminism” (TERF). Here, I will use the acronym “GC/TERF” as an umbrella term, although I will also be highlighting some of the differences that exist within this umbrella.
The distinguishing characteristic of GC/TERFism is the belief that feminism and transgender activism are somehow fundamentally opposed to one another: Every step forward for trans rights is necessarily a step backwards for women’s rights. Crucially, this position is not generally held by other feminists, especially those who recognize intersectionality: that different forms of marginalization exist and exacerbate one another, so we should work to simultaneously end all of them.
