Amy Dyess article, “TERF Is Hate Speech and It’s Time to Condemn It”

[R0wantrees]

(extract)
"For the most part, mainstream media and so-called LGBT organizations have chosen to ignore a specific demographic of the Me Too movement. “TERF” is a slur used to sexually harass, threaten, and silence lesbians. Instead of standing up for female homosexuals, “LGBT” orgs and media are persecuting lesbians and disguising it as social justice. The gaslighting is next level, but the majority of the world is starting to wake up to this injustice. Time’s Up!

TERF was initially used as an acronym that meant Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist, but the term has always been used to muzzle women from discussing our rights. For the past year and half, TERF has been widely used as homophobic hate speech aimed at all lesbians. That’s right… ALL lesbians.

You don’t have to be a radical feminist to be labeled a TERF. A lesbian can make it clear she believes trans people deserve human rights and respect, but she’s still a “TERF” because her sexual orientation has an innate boundary. That boundary is same-sex attraction for other adult human females. Lesbians are the only sexual orientation that excludes penis, and that makes us the most dangerous adversary to the patriarchy.

Extremists don’t believe women, chiefly lesbians, deserve boundaries. That’s what this issue is all about. They disguise their misogyny and homophobia as social justice in order to gain support from people who are misinformed. So-called “progressives” are openly oppressing and condemning the homosexual community, primarily the lesbian community.

The Economist has banned the use of “TERF” in articles and comments because the slur “may have started as a descriptive term but is now used to try to silence a vast swathe of opinions on trans issues, and sometimes to incite violence against women.” Unfortunately, too many journalists and sites have decided to do the opposite. Even editors are doubling down on their misogyny and homophobia." (continues with many examples)

concludes, "I hereby call upon all media, including social media platforms, to follow The Economist’s example and ban the slur TERF. It’s time to move on to civil debate about trans rights and women’s rights. TERF is hate speech and it’s time to condemn it."

medium.com/@amydyess83/terf-is-hate-speech-and-its-time-to-condemn-it-6efc897ce407

Twitter link twitter.com/AmyDyess/status/1055526583786627072

Okay. Weird typo plus early post

I was going to say: absolutely brilliant article. Hits the nail on the head.

Great.

Mind you, ban that one and they'll soon find another insult.

Sorry, my apps acting up if I'm making no sense.

This bit stood out for me:

Lesbians are the only sexual orientation that excludes penis, and that makes us the most dangerous adversary to the patriarchy.

I've been thinking this for a while. So much of this can be boiled down to a woman's right to say no to a penis. Lesbians, who have the audacity to say they'll never want it, are the lightning rods and bear the brunt of it.

Thank you Amy. The absolute relish with which these people use the word because they believe it gives them freedom to verbally abuse women is extremely revealing.

And yes, using this speech for ALL women who want to express a point of view has:

1. Radicalized them and created a new highly motivated politically active group.

2. Created immense solidarity between heterosexual women and lesbians as women have recognized the massive misogyny and homophobia unleashed on lesbian women.

I saw a tweet that used "FARTs" instead of "TERF", I think it was "Feminist appropriating radical transphobes" or something. So, yeah... Other slurs will spring up, so it would need to cover the intent and not just the terms used. The intent to silence using any language should be seen as hate speech, or at least infringing on other peoples right to free speech.

Spot on, vile term yet widely used and accepted. Goodness it is taking a long time for the tide to turn and for people to see that such words are not to show support for those with varying sexual/gender preferences but to show hatred for women. We are 51% of the population, we are sister, mothers, aunts etc and marvellous in so many ways and yet it has come to this. There must be more to it than meets the eye?

Yes. Great article! It’s the same type of misogynistically-abusive basic idea as accusing a woman of being a witch was, a few hundred years ago. A label that provides a licence to harass and attack women. Not applied to men in that way. What’s the crime that women (TERFs) are doing here? Is it something illegal or violent?
No. It’s just Having a sexual orientation.
Or not believing humsns can actually change sex.

Also it’s great to see The Economist taking a stand.

I saw a tweet that used "FARTs" instead of "TERF",

They appropriated that from gender critical feminists who had "feminist attacking radical transactivists" as an amusing play on the T word. Very little they do is original. Obviously.

They've finally begun to realise that the word is used so indiscriminately against anyone that it's completely lost its power. And it's not great optics for them.

I’m renewing my subscription to The Economist.

What a fantastic article. Just shared it on my Facebook page. Fuck knows what sort of response it will get. I have a lot of right on friends. I fail to see how they could possibly disagree with what she says though.

I saw a tweet that used "FARTs" instead of "TERF", I think it was "Feminist appropriating radical transphobes" or something. So, yeah... Other slurs will spring up, so it would need to cover the intent and not just the terms used.

Mainstream media won't accept new terms in the same way as they have (up to now) the term 'TERF'.
Its often used (recently on BBC it was captioned across the screen in front of women from WPUK etc) with the explainer that it means 'Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists'

Challenging this is very significant.

Agree R0.

recently on BBC it was captioned across the screen in front of women from WPUK etc) with the explainer that it means 'Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists'

The producer's mealy mouthed attempt to defend the use of that was shameful.

The producer's mealy mouthed attempt to defend the use of that was shameful.

This is the article which needs to be sent / shared with complaints.

The intent behind it’s use is offensive, but I can’t help thinking that people who use it offensively haven’t thought things through.

What is wrong with sometimes excluding people if they don’t fit relevant criteria? Is it wrong to insist on an objective definition of the word ‘woman’, but fine to not kiss Tories? What about positive action programmes - are they discriminatory?

Have they thought about the meaning of radical feminist? Does it really apply to all gender critical women?

If they are just using ‘radical feminist’ as a term of abuse can they explain why?

So many questions, so few answers, but plenty for a woke bro to ponder.

The FT has taken Bunce off one of their 'top 100' award lists (though afaik oddly not the women's one yet) because of a tweet using TERF, so hopefully they've got the message.

The issue isn't the label, it's that role who hold certain views are widely seen as bigoted. Saying so is not an attempt to silence them. It's the expression of a totally valid different viewpoints.

it is utterly wrong to attempt to silence women who are not exclusionary - adfems do not speak for all feminists, let alone all women, and should not ever say that expressing a different viewpoint is silencing women. It is not. It is stating a different viewpoint. Those who deride that may we'll be seen as intolerant at best and bigoted at worst.

But ‘radical feminists’ are no more likely to believe that there are differences between women and trans women than anyone else.

The only difference is that they are more specifically concerned about women, and therefore people like Julie Bindel noticed the problems of the logical inconsistencies of the GRA earlier than others.

some examples of popular youtube contrasting commentaries

Magdelen Berns 2016
Debunking Myths about "Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminism" ("TERF")

Riley J Dennis
'What is a TERF?'

Magdelen Berns (responds to RJD above)
Re: What is a TERF?

Miranda Yardley and Rya Jones (transwomen who identify with women)
'TERF' and 'Cis': Misogyny and Homophobia in Transgender Culture
www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=AUP2csDBG-E

Michelle Tackett (transwoman who identifies as woman)
'A Message to TERF And Other Transphobes'

Lisa Muggeridge:
'Terf holds no power and marks you out'

(examples of young liberal feminists)
Ash Sarkar on the TERF Rebirth

Rowan Ellis
'What are TERFs?'

‘TWAW’ is a valid viewpoint if you can explain what it means. Nobody seems to be able to do that.

What is the point of the FT list if nobody knows who it is for? Why are men being randomly excluded?

Excellent article. And I completely agree with a previous poster who said this issue has promoted solidarity between heterosexual women and lesbians.

This is from the same woman's Twitter feed. Shocking though it is, no woman would have any trouble doubting how prevalent this is.

mobile.twitter.com/mu_guiying/status/1020362590021488641?s=21

I saw WoLF mentioned earlier

Anyone any idea what that means?

Ive googled but so far ive got lots of pictures of woves...so a good morning for me but its not very helpful

I always thought they should stop calling terrorists lone wolves as it sounds quite cool

Maybe call them lone cockroaches or something