TERF/Trans‐exclusionary Radical Feminist

Abstract

TERF or trans‐exclusionary radical feminist was coined in 2008 and describes a minority of feminists who advocate the view that transgender women are not women, the belief that trans people are mentally ill, and the exclusion of trans women from women‐only spaces. Exclusionary theories describe how people assigned male at birth may be socialized to learn masculinity as tied to the oppression of women and situate gender as fixed. Some scholars suggest the rise of exclusionary feminism is in reaction to gains for transgender rights, increased visibility for trans issues, more public support for trans lives, and online organizing.