Immutable Uncertainties

Trans-exclusionary radical feminism (TERF), also known as gender-critical feminism, is a subset of feminism that rejects transgender and non-binary identities. Trans-exclusionary radical feminists believe that womanhood is solely defined by sex and that sex is biological, immutable, and binary. They view trans women as men and trans men as women. They consider the concepts of gender identity and gender self-identification to be part of an inherently oppressive "gender ideology", a concept which is shared with the right-wing anti-gender movement. Emerging from fringe movements within second-wave radical feminism mainly in the United States, trans-exclusionary radical feminism has achieved increasing global prominence in the 2010s and 2020s. It has been linked to promotion of disinformation and to the anti-gender movement. Anti-gender rhetoric has seen increasing circulation in trans-exclusionary radical feminist discourse since 2016, including the concept of "gender ideology". In several countries, trans-exclusionary radical feminist groups have formed alliances with right-wing, far-right, and anti-feminist organisations. Trans-exclusionary radical feminism has been described as transphobic by feminist and scholarly critics. It is opposed by many feminist, LGBTQ rights, and human rights organizations. The Council of Europe has condemned trans-exclusionary radical feminist ideology, among other ideologies, and linked it to "virulent attacks on the rights of LGBTI people" in Hungary, Poland, Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and other countries. UN Women has described the trans-exclusionary radical feminist movement, among other movements, as extreme anti-rights movements that employ hate propaganda and disinformation.