TERF Intimate Publics
This article asks: how does trans-exclusionary radical feminism (TERFism) function to create an intimate public that generates a sense of belonging along gendered and racialized lines? Drawing from Judith Butler, I use “fascism” as a conceptual frame while analyzing online images and sentiments of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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International Association for Political Science Students (IAPSS)
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Politikon |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://politikon.iapss.org/index.php/politikon/article/view/463 |
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| Summary: | This article asks: how does trans-exclusionary radical feminism (TERFism) function to create an intimate public that generates a sense of belonging along gendered and racialized lines? Drawing from Judith Butler, I use “fascism” as a conceptual frame while analyzing online images and sentiments of a trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF) who belongs to an Australian anti-gender Facebook group. I argue that TERF intimate publics are constituted by feelings of loss and resentment which become alleviated through claiming legitimacy along a “natural” gendered and racialized hierarchy of human worth, through demanding a return of one’s “sex-based rights,” and through a commitment to victimhood. Generating pride in a perceived endangered identity, this article finds that TERF intimate publics uphold the regulatory norms of cis-heteronormativity and whiteness. This analysis reveals that they offer a space for racist nationalism rooted in cis-hetero-misogyny, a crucial finding as TERFism gains traction in the current political moment.
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| ISSN: | 2414-6633 |