4 ms·

Which is unfortunate, as those who would be most accurately described by that label, if it was taken literally and not used as a slur, actually have a sensible

Which is unfortunate, as those who would be most accurately described by that label, if it was taken literally and not used as a slur, actually have a sensible and thoughtful middle ground between the two extremes who are currently battling it out in the political arena.

resoluteteeth 3y ago
> Which is unfortunate, as those who would be most accurately described by that label, if it was taken literally and not used as a slur, actually have a sensible and thoughtful middle ground between the two extremes who are currently battling it out in the political arena. Perhaps not as many people self-identify as "TERFs" now that the term is widely viewed negatively, but as of a few years ago there were several subreddits on reddit where people identified themselves as TERFs (I'm not sure whether these subreddits still exist). However, the prevailing view on these subreddits was that all men are inherently poisoned by testosterone and dangerous. For this reason, I'm not sure it's actually a "thoughtful middle ground" as much as you might think.
- jeh_noll 3y ago
  I know the subreddits you're referring to (which now exist off-site), and that wasn't my experience of them. I considered these to be a supportful space for people, mostly women, to discuss and critique this recent ideological shift towards women and men being redefined as a 'gender identity' rather than a material biological reality, and the harmful effects this belief system has when implemented in law and policy. One person who I feel exemplifies the sensible middle ground here is JK Rowling. She wrote a very thoughtful essay on this topic which I think is well worth reading, if you haven't already: https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-....

resoluteteeth 3y ago

> Which is unfortunate, as those who would be most accurately described by that label, if it was taken literally and not used as a slur, actually have a sensible and thoughtful middle ground between the two extremes who are currently battling it out in the political arena. Perhaps not as many people self-identify as "TERFs" now that the term is widely viewed negatively, but as of a few years ago there were several subreddits on reddit where people identified themselves as TERFs (I'm not sure whether these subreddits still exist). However, the prevailing view on these subreddits was that all men are inherently poisoned by testosterone and dangerous. For this reason, I'm not sure it's actually a "thoughtful middle ground" as much as you might think.

jeh_noll 3y ago
I know the subreddits you're referring to (which now exist off-site), and that wasn't my experience of them. I considered these to be a supportful space for people, mostly women, to discuss and critique this recent ideological shift towards women and men being redefined as a 'gender identity' rather than a material biological reality, and the harmful effects this belief system has when implemented in law and policy. One person who I feel exemplifies the sensible middle ground here is JK Rowling. She wrote a very thoughtful essay on this topic which I think is well worth reading, if you haven't already: https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-....