Terf as an insult

[LovedayCL]

There’s a literary world related thread on Twitter at the moment. A male author has said that he doesn’t agree with sensitivity readers. His comment is not specific to the types of cultural sensitivities that might need to be considered. A woman in the publishing industry has retweeted with a derogatory comment on how if you look at the likes and retweets of his tweet that you will ‘find a lot of industry TERFS.’ This is a common refrain.

I try to keep following people with opposing opinions to me, I don’t want to live in an echo chamber, but god it’s pretty horrible when women do this to other women. I don’t want anyone to be bullied or discriminated against or not treated with respect - I literally just don’t believe you can change sex and that women’s sex based rights matter. Why is it ok to demonise women in this way? Funnily enough - in her comment presumably in support of sensitivity readers - she has pointed out the one group who apparently deserve none. Ugh.

I'm not on twitter but I wonder what would happen to me if I tweeted out, or put up a poster, or sprayed graffiti, or wore a t shirt but with the word "terf" replaced with jew or homosexual or TW or, even, woman? I wouldn't, it would be hateful and wrong. But I can't help wondering..? I suspect the police would be down on me like a ton of bricks, and I'd deserve it.

I also wonder if I were round campus wearing a t shirt with the slogan "woman is not a costume", world that be considered pro or anti?

It's not even accurate. MERF would be a better acronym but then they'd be admitting that it's the fact that they're male which means they are being excluded from certain things, and that would be too triggering, I suppose.

Is this an Irish author? I've seen his tweet and as expected he's getting unpleasant abuse but I can't see the comment you're referring to.

Link please?

To me TERF is not an insult. I am a terf and I will always center the needs of women over men no matter how those men identify.

So be it. I’ve been called worse.

I can't find the exchange, but whenever I see one of the old-enough-to-know-better 'usual suspects' in publishing saying the t-word and all that, the Steve Buscemi dressed as a high schooler, 'how do you do, fellow kids?' meme springs to mind.

embrace it, it means Tired of Explaining Reality to Fuckwits.

its our word if we want it to be

I like Mary Bourke's response:

When anyone calls me a TERF, I call them a SMURF. We can all make up our own insult words. That stands for Sexist Misogynist Undermining Real Feminism.

Though TBH when I've been accused of being a TERF I've actually responded in a puzzled way "How can I be a TERF when I include transmen in feminism?" This has sometimes lead to discussions that resulted in the other person thinking a little more deeply about the issue.

@VelvetChairGirl I love that - Tired of Explaining Reality to Fuckwits.

I also often think it should be TEF rather than TERF. I can’t see what’s so radical about thinking feminism should be about the rights of women.

I'm not so bothered by it. It's in the exact same category and has the same connotations of someone calling me a feminazi. It says very little about me but speaks volumes about the person saying it.

@JellySaurus

Though TBH when I've been accused of being a TERF I've actually responded in a puzzled way "How can I be a TERF when I include transmen in feminism?" This has sometimes lead to discussions that resulted in the other person thinking a little more deeply about the issue.

That’s is actually a really good point.

@Hestyo

It's not even accurate. MERF would be a better acronym but then they'd be admitting that it's the fact that they're male which means they are being excluded from certain things, and that would be too triggering, I suppose.

Thank you! It's fundamentally inaccurate which annoys my inner pedant.

The radical in radical feminism refers to root, not radical or unusual. Radical feminism has identified the root of women's oppression as gender (sex stereotypes - women can't do [xyz] because [abc]) since it's beginnings - in the sixties I think.

*Radical = revolutionary

@IvyTwines

I can't find the exchange, but whenever I see one of the old-enough-to-know-better 'usual suspects' in publishing saying the t-word and all that, the Steve Buscemi dressed as a high schooler, 'how do you do, fellow kids?' meme springs to mind.

Ha, yes. It’s the lumping it in with other apparently comparable things they do Twitter battle against though - racism for example. The inference being - if you don’t believe in gender ideology then you are as bad as a racist, you are likely probably in fact racist too. You are a bad person in every way. Honestly I feel embarrassed for them but also see how many people appear to agree with them. The virtue signalling is real 🤦‍♀️

@purplepizzabunny

Is this an Irish author? I've seen his tweet and as expected he's getting unpleasant abuse but I can't see the comment you're referring to.

Yes it’s John Boyne that made the original comment. It had no mention of trans issues. It referred only to sensitivity readers and his opinion of that.

@IcakethereforeIam

I'm not on twitter but I wonder what would happen to me if I tweeted out, or put up a poster, or sprayed graffiti, or wore a t shirt but with the word "terf" replaced with jew or homosexual or TW or, even, woman? I wouldn't, it would be hateful and wrong. But I can't help wondering..? I suspect the police would be down on me like a ton of bricks, and I'd deserve it.

I also wonder if I were round campus wearing a t shirt with the slogan "woman is not a costume", world that be considered pro or anti?

I’m no fan of the word TERF but that is a false equivalence and frankly trivializes sexism and anti-Semitism. The term TERF refers to a person’s beliefs and attitudes about gender, which can develop and change and over time. It is OK to discuss or challenge the validity of someone’s chosen beliefs if you do it respectfully without using offensive and simplistic insults like TERF. By contrast, there is no situation in which it is acceptable to treat someone differently based on an immutable characteristic like sex or ethnic/religious heritage. I’m not condoning the use of the word TERF but you’re comparing apples and oranges. Language is important in this context.