Slogans!

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This thread is about slogans, and the need for them.

I've commented previously that one of the great strengths the TRAs currently possess is that they have had several years to frame the debate on their own terms, before most feminists were even aware that there was an issue, and in particular, to devise and propagate widely used and certain easy-to-remember slogans.

As others have pointed out, TWAW is extremely effective at ending discusssion. It pithily expresses an easy-to-understand point, but requires dense and not-easy-to-follow text to argue against.

Given that most social media interactions are brief, people are busy, and not necessarily particularly bright, and given that TWAW has been out there as a 'truth' for years, GC feminists are facing an uphill struggle to explain in similarly pithy, simple language why it is wrong.

Which brings me to SLOGANS.

GC feminists need to be redefining the debate with our own, equally, or more effective slogans. These need to explain our key points using simple words that everyone understands, and they need to be repeated relentlessly- as TWAW has been. The success of 'Get Brexit done' as a slogan - and the Tories religiously on-message use of it throughout the election campaign- was a big part of their recent success. Just as 'Take Back Control'was a hugely effective slogan before the referendum in 2016.

The importance of slogans should not be under-estimated.

FWIW, I don't think 'Women are Adult Human Females' is a successful slogan at all. Because:

a) It sounds utterly batshit to anyone not already following the debate - of course women are adult human females!
b) It allows TRAs to continue to frame the debate in terms of a discussion over who is a woman. When actually, this is something that has been known for thousands of years and even a toddler could tell you. We should not be arguing primarily on their territory. It does us no favours.
c) Most importantly, it ignores women's main issues with TRA claims. We are not arguing over terminology, we are arguing over women's and children's SAFETY and RIGHTS.The terminology matters only insofar as it is being used to undermine that safety and those rights. But by putting the cart before the horse, we have lost most of our audience, who don't follow us long enough past the batshitttery to find out WHY we care about the terminology.

So I think we need slogans that go back to basics.

We need slogans that fight on our own territory and frame the debate through our own eyes, not through the eyes of those intent on dismantling women's rights.

I would suggest that what we need are slogans that simply and clearly point out and go on the offensive over misogyny and attacks on women's rights - as feminists have always done.

Please suggest your effective slogans below. Sure that we can crowdsourced some better slogans than we have currently.

Over to you...

Get Brexit Done
Take Back Control

Three words, four syllables

(and who cares if it's true?)

Woman: Born not worn.
Woman: A fact, not a feeling.

Trans isn't kind

The point being, most people with little knowledge of the debate fear being perceived as unkind or phobic.

My go:

SOS: Save Our Spaces - Women Are Under Attack!

(Could be one long or 2 short slogans)

And why I am keen to retain the use of 'Womenface' as a term - as currently being discussed on the thread about drag elsewhere.

EverylittleAlps - feel your slogan would immediately get bogged down in the idea we were attacking trans people? Which would be untrue and unhelpful.

I don't think the general public is capable of distinguishing between women-hating TRAs and poor little Sam who suffers terribly from gender dysphoria and wouldn't hurt a fly.

CrissmussMockers - thanks for summarising my post.

Do you have a suggestion that women can use for our own cause?

Your problem with this is that any effective, viral slogan we came up with would be immediately deleted from most platforms for hate speech.

Don't think that is the case. It would clearly be deleted if it attacked trans people. But if it is about protecting women not attacking others that is much less likely.

Plus TRAs don't actually control all spaces, contrary to their wishes. Messages can and do break out. Led By Donkeys is a good example of how messages can exist in the real sphere outside of or rather alongside social media. As is MN.

And to clarify, I'm not only talking about slogans, though I think they are key.

It's about spreading a message more effectively generally.

The TL;DR version of my post is basically a) don't argue on their turf (pun intended) and b) use simple, easy-to-remember/repeat language to get points across memorably and simply. Most people don't even know there is a debate.

The TRAs get to wave nice pastel banners and shout “love not hate” very very loudly. Don’t the gc side need a lovey dovey sounding response? “We love you the way you are” type thing?

Could we have a "so what have women ever done for us" sketch

Or "women's rights...the right to

Where options can be anything from "be paid less" " have your heart attack ignored" to female selective abortion and FGM

The alternative: have long-winded, defensive arguments on Twitter etc where we try to 'prove' that women exist. Get deleted. Average person understands none of it and if they even see it, think we're insane for arguing over a self-evident truism like women existing.

TWAW sounds superficially sensible and 'kind' to the vast majority of people who have no idea that self-ID is mooted let alone here in practice, and assume that access to women's spaces applies/could apply only to a tiny number of verifiable TW who have all had surgery, and are certified as dysphoric.

Or body positive. My breasts can feed a baby, my..

I think one of the GC slogans should be about accepting and loving people as they are, as OneEpisode says.

And also encouraging of GNC behaviour and dress among men and women. It doesn't automatically mean you are the opposite sex if you enjoy these things.

I can't think of anything clever at the moment!

Give me an example of a short, effective slogan that a) communicates the message and b) has some humour or similar about it that sticks in the mind, that won't be immediately deleted by most social media platforms.

Why don't you think Adult Human Females works? It's a strong enough signal to get signage removed and women kicked out of bars.

No offence, but I'm tired of talking about our "failures" when the simple truth is that the deck is stacked against us and ordinary women have actually achieved fucking wonders in breaking down institutional deliberate deaf dumb and blindness with incredibly unequal resources.

hmm, i don't like slogans- and think people who use them are generally simpletons- but yes i see that they do work.

i liked that blue waste bin that identified as a green waste bin - v funny. i think a photo campaign showing the absurdity of identity politics would be amusing.
eg- this tree identifies as a christmas tree

• this chocolate identifies as low calorie etc etc

OneEpisode - fab, love that idea.

I think it's no accident that many of us who instantly spot the problem with TRA claims is that we grew up in the era of glam rock/New Romantics/Britpop etc (delete as appropriate) and therefore grew up expecting that the trend for the boundaries between how men and women were free to dress and express themselves would continue to break down. We welcomed men in make up and women free from the need to wear make up as two sides of a coin that said that people were people.

So suddenly jumping back to seemingly 1950s messages of 'men must dress like men and women like women', or they aren't 'real' men or women at all, has been so obviously disturbing for us.

And yes, I think making clear that we are PRO men wearing make-up etc not ANTI transwomen is important.

I think we need a positive message about protecting women's rights. And lovey-dovey is good!

The slogans are simplified, aren’t overly concerned with reality and complexities and therefore cut through very well.

Trans slogans -
TWAW - If you repeat something often enough it becomes a statement of fact. Superficially seems inclusive and kind - most people don’t see the obvious consequences of this

Aligning LGB with T is the most effective slogan of all. Appeals to the liberal side of most people and T has effectively tacked itself along on with society with its, in the main, changed view on LGB.

‘Better a live daughter than a dead son’ Where else is such emotional blackmail / coercive control allowed?

T*rf - There is something bigoted about us. We are the problem.

We need something that highlights to everyone that this is not progressive but utterly regressive and that this is relevant to everyone.

I (gently) want to disagree. In my experience, slogans are for the black-and-white "put down" generation. They're a sort of brainwashing tactic that do not invite thought. So personally I don't think there is a suitable one and don't think I'd use it either...

I've always liked the idea of having adverts/posters up around places showing photographs or artist impressions of women and men who are fairly gender non-conforming in their appearance or hobbies or personality etc but they are happy in themselves as women and men i.e. not trans or queer or non-binary or whatever.
People who are happy to challenge gender stereotypes and don't subscribe to the notion that if you dislike the gendered roles for your sex or enjoy activities usually associated with the other sex that it somehow means you are the opposite sex.

LangCleg - I thank you humbly for all that you do. I'm certainly not attacking you or any of the amazing women who have given up so much time and placed themselves in direct actual danger to fight for women's rights.

Sorry if my post seemed negative and harping on perceived 'failures' - it's not meant to. The many existing campaigns certainly managed to peak trans me and many other women (and some men).

I'm talking about tactics to reach the very many women I know in real life and see on social media who don't get it yet - who don't have the time or sometimes the critical thinking abilities to read and follow complex debates on conflicting rights. Particularly when TRAs have years of advantage over us in framing the debate and a highly effective slogan in TWAW.

So please don't read this as criticism - I'm learning, and trying to think creatively about how to reach those who haven't yet got the message. I work with language, so it's natural for me to look at things from that perspective.

Thank you

'Lesbians don't have penises' was pretty effective at Prides over the summer. Large men felt they needed to use their physicality to block people from seeing it, so it can't have been completely inconsequential.

It has the same problem as AHF in that it is self-evident to anyone sane, though.

Whilst I don't disagree that slogans can be useful, part of the problem is the extent of the issue and how it's multi layered.

Which is why Adult Human Female only works as a political message if you are already familiar with it all.

But the beauty of AHF is the self evident truth that will subsequently make people ask what it's about or what's wrong with it.

The realisation that it's considered transphobic is what starts the journey.

And I'm not sure slogans can take the place of that journey.

Interested in the suggestions though!