On 18th March 2023, Melbourne was stunned when members of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network appeared at an anti-trans rally supporting British agitator Kellie-Jay Kean-Minshull, known online as Posie Parker. While some media organisations tried to imply that the rally was “hijacked” by the white supremacists, the Nazis were welcomed by the rally supporters on the steps of Victorian Parliament House. Yet, Parker and rally organiser Angie Jones have maintained that the rally had nothing to do with famously misogynistic Nazi ideology. They were ‘merely’ standing against transgender rights – which they claim threaten women’s rights.
For people unfamiliar with TERFism, it might be confusing why those claiming to champion women’s rights would be supported by Neo-Nazis. But it is crucially important for all feminists – and anyone who supports human rights – to understand exactly how deeply the anti-trans and Nazi ideologies are.
What is a TERF?
Trans-exclusionary radical feminism (or TERFism) is a fairly old ideology, dating back to the second wave of feminism. It is sometimes called Gender Critical feminism. The central idea is that biological women have innate qualities that mean trans women shouldn’t be seen as equal to them, especially when it comes to women’s-only awards and spaces. TERFs reject inclusive terms like ‘cisgender’ (which means a person whose gender identity matches the gender assigned at birth), claiming it puts trans women on an unfair equal footing. Current public figures who subscribe to these beliefs are J.K. Rowling, failed political candidate Katherine Deves, and Victorian Liberal politician Moira Deeming.
In theory, this may make sense. TERFs often frame themselves as protecting the importance of womanhood, which sounds appealing and even feminist. But you don’t have to dig very far to see the problems with this thinking. For starters, how do we define what a biological woman is? Many of the characteristics often used to define the term – XX chromosomes, breasts, a vagina, or pregnancy – don’t apply to all women. Worse, these attempted definitions tend to reinforce old fashioned ideas of a woman’s role in society. Women who are unable to give birth, or just choose not to, still face considerable stigma – suggesting that “biological women” are defined by childbearing ability throws away decades of feminist work.
In Kansas, a bill was recently passed to set the definition of a woman as “an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova.” Under this definition, the experiences of women with chromosomal differences, disabilities and non-conforming gender presentations are deemed less valid. For all the talk of trans women ‘erasing womanhood’, the irony is TERF ideology has achieved that. If feminism is about advancing the rights of all women, then these beliefs are clearly not feminist.
@gothamshitty Why TERFs’ concept of gender is r4cist #feminism #feminist #intersectionalfeminism #gender #leftism #leftist #lgbtq ♬ original sound – Lauren
TERFism puts all women in danger
This reality is summed up most clearly when you look at the real-world effects of this ideology. The anti-trans panic has led to attacks not just on trans women, but also cis women who don’t sufficiently meet conventional beauty standards. Having short hair, big shoulders, nose or hands, or being ‘too’ tall could get you attacked. Panic around trans women entering women’s spaces has also drawn attention away from very real crises of domestic violence and prison rape, tragedies which TERFs are making worse by attacking charities and forcing a rape crisis centre into lockdown.
Then there are the effects of banning trans women from women’s sports. In Ohio, Republican lawmakers passed a law allowing anyone to dispute the “biological sex” of an athlete on a women’s sports team. While anti-trans campaigners celebrated this as a protecting the integrity of women’s sports, many more parents became immediately concerned about the safety of their daughters.
Why? Two main reasons. First, the law could be weaponised to intimidate girls, particularly non-white girls, who outperformed their peers. This isn’t a new concept – sports bans against trans women have often been used against Black female athletes. The second reason is terrifying. Disputes of “biological sex” are resolved by undergoing a series of testing including external and internal exams of reproductive anatomy. These can be performed on girls as young as 12.
How can anyone advocate for these practices and call it feminism? There is nothing about this that is remotely empowering.
This is why TERF ideology relies on disinformation. The British push to remove trans women from women’s prisons is based on the false idea that cisgender women are incapable of rape, and that ‘male-bodied people’ are biologically programmed to rape. This is clearly untrue, offensive, and goes against all established knowledge about why people rape. The idea that men are inherently predatory and dangerous backs us into a corner – by that logic, segregating men and women is the only way to prevent sexual assault. In reality, we are working to eliminate sexual assault from society through education and gender equality.
Trans-rights activist and actor Georgie Stone says she is “genuinely fearful” for her safety following the appearance of neo-Nazis at an anti-trans rally in Melbourne last month.
— SBS News (@SBSNews) April 4, 2023
Read more here: https://t.co/W69d3yXDOy pic.twitter.com/unX23e1UdA
Shared Nazi values
These examples make it clear that, no matter what lies they tell, TERFism is about preserving patriarchal standards of womanhood. It relies on the disgust that Western society still holds for trans women to push ideas of what “real women” should be: weak, sexually pure, conventionally feminine people who exist to produce babies. It is the same ideas and worldview that Nazis subscribe to, but in a different coat of paint.
Both movements insist men and women have innate biological differences that force them into distinct societal roles. Both want women to be defined by reproductive capability and traditional feminine presentation. Both condemn any deviation from those standards. By advocating for so-called sex-based rights, both TERFs and Nazis seek to strip away basic human rights from those who don’t conform.
This is why we need to condemn this movement and see it for what it is. The reason why Nazis appeared on the steps of Victorian Parliament that day was because an event in support of Nazi ideology was held and sanctioned by the police. It’s not coincidence that attendees of this event had known neo-Nazi connections and sympathies, as much as they try to hide this with a faux-feminist disguise. Trans-exclusionary beliefs are fascist beliefs.
Rejecting TERFism in Australia
After Posie Parker’s failed anti-trans rally in Wellington, the NZ Herald portrayed her as a “trojan horse”, trying to bring Nazism into the country by masquerading as a feminist. I couldn’t put it better.
We should be worried about the growing tolerance for fascism in Australia, and people who try to feed these ideas into everyday conversation. We should be worried that the likes of Katherine Deves and Moira Deeming publicly support this ideology, that the political establishment willingly works with them, and that the media refuses to call it what it is.
The trans rights movement is a women’s rights movement. It gets support from the same people, organisations and groups that support rights to abortion, contraception, and protection from sexual assault. There is a long road ahead of us before we achieve gender equality for all. It’s important we don’t fall for the tricks that fascists will play to get us to attack each other, and instead stay focused on working together to achieve our common goals.
TERFs and Nazis go hand in hand. They have no place in feminism, no place in Australia. Let’s work together for an Australia that truly accepts all women for who they are.
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