newswire article commentary portland metro gender & sexuality | political theory How to deal with TERF infiltration of radical organizing space author: Your Comrade Relentless barrage of TERF propaganda in radical leftist movement is not new, but it is starting to pick up steam again. This is how we deal with it: same as any other isms, sexism, racism, ableism, classism and heterosexism. In fact, TERF is a combination of all five isms. Relentless barrage of TERF propaganda in radical leftist movement is not new, but it is starting to pick up steam again. This is how we deal with it: same as any other isms, sexism, racism, ableism, classism and heterosexism. In fact, TERF is a combination of all five isms.



TERF = Sexist



TERF core belief is in sex dimorphism and assigning a simplistic us-vs-them black-and-white class distinctions along that line. Thus penis is evil and vagina is good, and TERF turns this into a cosmic battle of good and evil. At its core, TERF belief is in Female Supremacism, that the possessor of vagina is superior to the possessors of penis or artificial vagina. Like White Supremacists, "even a drop of blood" analogy is used in maintaining Female Supremacy. Trans* Women are always seen in this light, even a drop of Y-chromosome containing blood defiles a person.



TERF = Racist



TERF movement is a white movement, which seeks to abolish all social and legal advances made by Trans* advocates in the past 30 years. TERF work very closely with Religious Fundamentalists and Right Wing Extremists to promote this agenda, this explains recent rise in anti-Trans* state legislation. The biggest victims of TERF anti-Trans* lobbying effort are Black and Latina Trans* Women, who are too poor to afford what TERF demand as minimal requirement for human rights (Sex Reassignment Surgery) and are disproportionately targeted by criminal justice system (TERF opposes even a modicum of human rights protection for Trans* prisoners).



TERF = Ableist



TERF movement uses blogs and social media to mock "ugly" Trans* Women saying how "manly" they look. Body-shaming is TERF's tool of trade. TERF propagandists also make fun of Trans* Women who are on public assistance such as SSI.



TERF = Classist



TERF use all sorts of derogatory terms for those Trans* Women who cannot afford Trans* medical care: rapists, fetishists, perverts, autogynephiles, freaks, etc., and claim that because they cannot afford transition-related healthcare they should not have any legal rights or protection.



TERF = Heterosexist



TERF tolerates Trans* Women who have sex with men (which TERF see as MSM), because they resemble a normal straight couple. This is no different from Iran's homophobic law that tolerates gays and lesbians as long as they get a Sex Reassignment Surgery in order to keep up a "straight" look to society.





We in radical activism must never give TERF a light of day. Giving a TERF an opportunity to mouth its hate of Trans* Women is to collude with TERFism. Do not engage with them, as they like other people's attention and see any criticism as a "misogynist" attack. Because of entrenched martyr mentality among TERFs any criticism against them only encourages and vindicates them as far as they're concerned.



Since TERF refuses to participate in human reproduction (TERF call this PIV, or penis-in-vagina, and according to TERFism all PIVs are rape), we can respond by denying them human status. This radical dehumanization is only way to deal with ongoing incursion of TERF into our revolutionary movements. contribute to this article

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