TERF

TERF 'pride flag'

Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERFs), also known as Trans-Exclusionary Radicals (TERs) or Feminism-Appropriating Reactionary Transphobes (FARTs), are transphobes who justify their transphobia under the guise of feminism. TERFs are known for hatred of trans women particularly.

TERFs often prey on young, uneducated gay people (particularly lesbians) to indoctrinate them into their ideology. Because of this, there is a large age discrepancy in TERF groups. Older TERFs (usually around their 30s) have been kicked out of local real life LGBT+ spaces due to their transphobia, so they turn to the internet to spread their bigotry. They often target young (around 12-15) lesbians who likely do not have access to real life LGBT+ spaces, and are therefore less educated on LGBT issues and are easier to manipulate. To those not familiar with TERF ideology it can be difficult to spot it, as TERF mask their bigotry with the guise of feminism. They will often make statements about "men", if one did not know that person is a TERF one would not assume that statement actually meant trans women. By hiding what they're actually saying behind more innocuous statements, they can get people to agree with them and from there can indoctrinate them into their way of thinking.

TERF Ideology

Transphobia

TERFs' main doctrine is that trans people do not exist. They believe that trans women are actually men who are trying to invade women's spaces, and/or men who fetishize womanhood and have "autogynephilia". They also believe that trans men are actually confused lesbians.

Obsession with "Biology"

Related to the previous point TERFs equate women with their genitals and believe that women that those with vaginas and uteri, and more recently, those with XX chromosomes. As such TERFs will frequently use symbols of a vagina or uterus to represent women. They also obsess over biological processes such a periods and the ability to give birth. They sometimes refer to cis women as "womben" (a combination of women and womb).

Similarly they sometimes use the word "womyn". This alternate spelling was originally meant as a way to avoid the suffix 'man'. However it was adopted by TERFs to mean cis women. TERFs also use the womyn-born-womyn (WBW) to mean "women raised as women", to exclude anyone assigned male at birth.

Prejudice Against AMAB people

TERFs believe that all men are inherently oppressive and cannot change this due to the way they enforce the patriarchy. Trans women, and anyone assigned male at birth are included in this outdated definition of "men". They believe that because they were born and were raised as men they do not understand what it's like to be a woman and benefit from male privilege.

Views on Transmasculine People

As with many conversations on trans people, transmasculine people, such as transgender men and AFAB nonbinary people, are often left out of the conversation. When they are acknowledged, TERFs often brand them as gender non-conforming lesbians with internalized misogyny, and/or claim to support them because they believe all AFAB people are "female".

Biphobia

Biphobia is rampant in TERF groups. They often believe that relationships with men (and trans women), particularly sexual relationships, are oppressive and women who willingly form relationships with men, such as straight women or bisexual women are oppressing themselves due to societal pressure. As such many TERFs are lesbians and refuse to be romantically involved with bisexual women under the belief that they've been "tainted" by men.

Sex Shaming

TERF ideology often includes being against kinky sex, believing that dom/sub interactions, even between two women, mirror the oppressive relationship between men and women. Therefore TERF ideology asserted that the only "pure" form of sex is vanilla sex between two (strictly lesbian) cis women.

Many TERFs are also sex-worker exclusionary radical feminists, or SWERFs.

Dislike of the Word TERF

Many TERFs dislike being called TERFs as the word blatantly calls out their transphobia. Many will try to claim that TERF is a slur. They often call themselves gender critical, radical feminists or radfems, which leaves out the trans-exclusionary part to hide their bigotry.

Flag

The TERF 'pride flag' is based on the flag for the women's suffrage movement. It is often mistaken as the genderqueer pride flag due to its similar color scheme.