TERF: Difference between revisions

A closely associated term is ''SWERF'', which is supposed to stand for ''Sex-Worker-Exclusionary Radical Feminist'' and is used for those who see the sex industry (prostitution, pornography, etc.) as highly exploitative and sexist.  Like ''TERF'', the term is almost always applied as a slur, and to misrepresent the political position of the person it's used against.  Ironically, some of those who have to face the term most commonly are women who worked in prostitution and became anti-prostitution activists as a result of their own experiences as so-called sex workers.

The oldest known use of the term is by Viv Smythe aka "tigtog" in a blog post from 2008.<ref name=terf-origin/>  She defended the term as late as 2018, in an article for The Guardian.<ref name=guardian-smythe/>  Transgender activists frequently try to defend the term on the grounds that Viv Smythe is a woman who herself claims to be a radical feminist, and seems to have first used the term in a way that is not derogatory.  Of course, the benign origins of a term does not mean that it cannot evolve into a slur.

[[File:Mya-byrne-punches-terfs.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Totally not a slur!]]

In May 2020, a blog post was published on Medium.com equating so-called TERFs with Nazis in a credible-sounding tone and explaining how various methods such as infiltration, censorship, property damage, and physical violence should be used against them.<ref name=medium-izaguirre/>  The account posting the article was suspended from Medium.com on the same day and the content re-uploaded on WordPress soon after.<ref name=wp-izaguirre/>

In February 2017, the newly opened Vancouver Women's Library was met with a small group of vandals, including a very obviously male person who claimed to be a female sex worker.  They ripped off a poster, poured wine on a book, and harassed those trying to partake in the opening celebration.  Their stated reason was that the library included books which they deemed to support so-called "TERF" and "SWERF" ideology.<ref name=vwl/>

In August 16, 2019, the Facebook account of [[Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter]] reported that a dead rat had been nailed to their door frame.<ref name=vrr-fb/>  On August 26, their Twitter account followed up by reporting their door and windows were vandalized with phrases such as "FUCK TERFS" and "KILL TERFS" as well as "TRANS POWER".<ref name=vrr-twitter/>  The repeated harassment and vandalism garnered attention in local and national news.<ref name=vrr-vancouverisawesome/><ref name=vrr-nationalreview/><ref name=vrr-citynews/>

== Analysis of the term ==

To summarize: there is not a single documented instance of a feminist group going up to a transgender group to assault or threaten them.  Any claims of "violence by TERFs" refer either to women trying to evict transwomen from female-only spaces, extremely rare verbal threats, and lots and lots of fabrication.  In comparison, transgender activists have gone to women's libraries to vandalize them,<ref name=vwl/> went to feminist meetings to assault women,<ref name=fc1/><ref name=fc2/> appeared with face masks at feminist conferences to intimidate women,<ref name=jamjar/> and the ubiquitous verbal abuse they send in the direction of women fills up [https://terfisaslur.com/ a whole website] set up solely to archive it.

The word ''SWERF'' is a close relative to ''TERF'' and is applied in a similarly dishonest, misrepresenting way.  Women (and men who care about women's rights) who are critical of the sex industry for its exploitative nature are accused of being "sex-worker exclusionary" in an attempt to make them seem hateful towards an oppressed group.

Notably, one of the biggest anti-prostitution and anti-pornography feminists [[Andrea Dworkin]] was an ex-prostitute herself, and not ashamed of admitting so.  Another notable example is [[Rachel Moran]], who was in prostitution between the ages of 15 and 22, only to become one of the most notable anti-prostitution, pro-Nordic Model activists in recent years.

== See also ==

* [[Transgender ideology]]

* [https://www.feministcurrent.com/2017/09/21/terf-isnt-slur-hate-speech/ TERF isn't just a slur, it's hate speech | Feminist Current]