#radical feminism

[greenhouse-of-lillies]

Dear women of radblr,

You are a white nationalist hate group. Your ideology demands that women can’t have broad shoulders, they can’t have square jawlines, they can’t have thin hips or a flat ass, they can’t suffer from pcos without telling you, they can’t shave their head and wear clothes that make them look too manly, they can’t look anything close to a man. They must be visibly female to you, no matter what, even if they physically can’t.

If they do not follow these strict, racist and sexist rules, you will call them trans women. You will call them troons and moids, you will drive them out of the women’s room, you will even assault them. This has been caught on camera and posted by many cis women, and you can even find stories about it on news sites.

The same treatment is reserved for trans men and detransitioned women. Radblr constantly states that females, no matter their walk of life, are welcome in women’s spaces. What they don’t point out is that you have to look visibly female to the naked eye in order to be kept in those spaces. If not, you will harass and drive them out. If you even get one indication that a person MIGHT be male, you will stare and question them. This is because you worry that every slightly non-feminine woman is a well passing trans woman, who are men to you, who are inherently Evil.

As stated above, the visual qualifications you assign for people are rooted in racism and sexism, but that is what you demand every woman look like. You think you don’t, you tell us you don’t, but when you walk outside and take your ideology out with you, your radical feminist viewpoint, and you see a person who looks like a woman but oh? Why are her shoulders so broad? Why is she built like that? You are actively participating in white nationalism and racism and sexism. *

And if you decide that a woman is too manly looking, you will inquire. And you will harass sexually. And in some extreme cases you will even automatically assume that they are a man and you will treat them as such, even though they are female just like you. If you don’t believe that this happens, please shoot me an ask and I will show you the videos I have archived.

Again, I will reiterate: if you are a terf, you have successfully taken on a belief system that upholds sex stereotypes, that demands that women conform to racist and sexist physical stereotypes that they physically cannot do, and you hurt these women by shaming them for the bodies they were blessed with, their thin hips and flat rears and big hands and foreheads and broad shoulders and flat chests. It isn’t direct, and you claim that you don’t, but systematically you do, and some of you don’t even realize. You think radical feminism saves every woman by designating humans by two simply defined categories, but you don’t realize that to by making the category sex-based, you are essentially making it so that a person needs to bare their genitalia to you in order for you to put them in that category. Obviously you can’t do that. So you instead rely on physical traits that you can see, and focus on the ones that are typically seen in men or vice versa to identify each other. But it’s impossible. It fucks over women who biologically have features that the western white world deems male. It fucks over detransitioning women who were on testosterone and now have facial hair and deep voices. It fucks over intersex women and women with pcos. It fucks over so many people and you don’t even know it. You’re too blinded by the childish fantasy that you can have two neat categories to define people for what? To say these are the ones that are Bad and need to be Avoided and these ones are Good and are going to always protect each other? Not only is that so wrong, it’s the whole premise of your movement. And it fucking hurts women. Men get to stay in power, they get to be raised as dogs and treat women like dogs, just from a distance. You don’t try to actually fix the patriarchy and let go of sex stereotypes, you just want to be separated from it and it does not work. And you’re hurting yourselves in the process. Good job, ladies. You did a great job of protecting only visibly female women and letting males think it’s normal and okay to treat you all like shit.

Get out of this mindset. Now

*im not saying that ALL non-white women don’t look visibly female. That is also a racist thing to imply. But many poc have stated that they do believe radical feminism is racist at its core because they have features that their race is known for but are not female-looking to white people. That is where this claim is based. Listen to poc on issues that involve them

[radifemsara]

"Stop this gender war, it's useless, women are just as bad as men!"

Are we? Really? When they have never stopped attacking us? When they're the ones who are violent? When they're the ones committing crimes?

[butchpeace]

All I’m saying is, there’s a reason 90% of “trans lesbian” posts on tumblr are porn, thirstposting, and kink shit.

There’s a reason we don’t see all the “transbians” out at protests and marches for women’s rights.

There’s a reason they enjoy calling themselves and others “bitches”, and using misogynistic language towards themselves.

There’s a reason they so easily define themselves as lesbians, without any of the stigma or shame that we go through, and there’s a reason why they get angry when we don’t want them.

There’s a reason there’s so many more of them than “straight” trans women.

And there’s a reason they talk about violently harming women (and only women) who don’t agree with transition.

[dressed2k1ll]

Book review: Goddesses, Whores, Wives & Slaves by Sarah B Pomeroy (1975)

10/10

This was impossible to put down. A fascinating and vibrant history of Ancient Greek and Roman Women: from all walks of life, using just about every resource available within art and archaeology and anthropology.

It’s also also very very well researched and informative with a HUGE bibliography and a great index and lots of notes for the nerdy (aka me) who has already highlighted the next set of books to chew on.

Overall she argues (and does so persuasively with a great deal of thought and objectivity) that Roman women seemed to have enjoyed a higher quality of life than the Ancient Greek women because of generally (especially in upper class households) having a more public-facing life, being slightly more protected by the pater familias model of the Roman household, and having slightly more social mobility.

However a shout out goes to the Amazons and their social model for living 🏹🏹🏹

If you’re curious about the roles of women in varying Hellenistic and classical contexts, this is a must-read.

Her final words are so interesting and prescient too: “Serious intellectual thought about women continued: Stoicism, the most popular of the Hellenistic and Roman philosophies, directed women’s energies to marriage and motherhood. The argumentation is brilliant and difficult to refute. And this rationalized confinement of women to the domestic sphere, as well as the systemization of anti-female thought by poets and philosophers, are two of the most devastating creations in the classical legacy” 😢💔

Also, if you’re upset by reading about things like sexual slavery and infanticide, it might not be the book for you.

Overall, it’s staying in my collection and I’ll definitely be referring to it again.

[lorynna]

TRAs view of forced pregnancy and birth: yeah it's not that bad, you just have a bad time for 9 months and have a kid you don't want - that's nothing compared to me not being able to mutilate my body - taking that away from me literally kills me!"

these people are so removed from reality and just hate women.

then the "i hope you get raped"

[femmeandfanged]

How do I help women realise that patriarchy only “hurts men” in the same way that a shooter feels gun recoil

[worstdykeever]

totally normal reaction to a man shooting his parents in cold blood. saying shit like 'they deserved it' and 'she did nothing wrong' is just victim blaming at its worst. also love the photoshopped picture on the right compared to what he really looks like on the left 😭

[runawaysiren940]

The University of Oxford is currently showing off a collection of African items, among which is “a mask made by Nigeria's Igbo people and which was originally used in male-only rituals”, which women are not allowed to see (Radnedge). This mask is part of a collection which the museum describes as being “closely tied to British Imperial expansion”, and falls under “a policy to ensure women do not view the mask in relation to taboos about secret ceremonies, human remains, nudity as well as gender roles” (Radnedge). In other words, the cultural values of the group which the artifact was taken from are being respected, instead of the commonly accepted ones of the culture which the museum is a part of. Why are members of a modern, and increasingly egalitarian society held to the traditions of one steeped in misogyny and woman hating? Why is misogyny given deference and respect when it comes from another culture?

As “Art critic and author Ruth Millington” notes, “To deny all women, of all cultures, sight of something because that is a taboo in one particular culture seems an extreme stance, particularly given that this country is a modern, liberal and enlightened society. Surely women should be given the right to decide, after reading about any cultural sensitivities, if they wish to look upon the artefact or not. When it comes to art, we should all have equal rights, regardless of sex, to view what we would like to.” (Radnedge) Not to mention, the cultural sensitivities of women never seem to be held to the same high esteem. When muslim women mention that they cannot take off their hijab in front of trans-identified males, they’re called transphobic for it, and told that they are harming trans-identified males with their bigotry by doing so. Not to mention, the sudden confirmation that women do exist, and are a separate entity from men is hypocritical in a society where self-id exists, and anyone can identify as anything they wish, regardless of reality.

We see a similar pattern of single sex spaces being respected when it is a men’s club- such as in 2018, when a group of female protesters entered the men’s pool after identifying as male. This occurred in response to Hampstead’s inclusion of trans-identified males in the women’s pond the previous December. However, despite the women protesters “telling staff at the pond that they 'identified as male' and said they had the right to swim there… police arrived 15 minutes later and they were forced to leave” (Daily Mail).

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5780623/Female-protesters-break-men-lido-leap-pool.html. Accessed 21 June 2024.

Any other examples come to mind?

[tra-archive]

Terf just means lesbian, example 2738292829

[ayaahh00]

Isn’t it ironic whether it’s liberals or conservatives, or any religion, women’s appearances are always subject to control? Liberals push the agenda that women’s bodies should be public commodities, encouraging them to reveal more and wear less. Conservatives and religious extremists believe a woman’s body should belong to the government or be private property for a man. Both ends of the spectrum don’t respect women, reducing them to objects for their agendas. Nawal El Saadawi, the Egyptian feminist, highlighted this issue. She pointed out that while liberals in the West push for women to be public property, conservatives and extremists dictate strict modesty, both limiting women’s autonomy. Women are not safe under either ideology. Whether being told to strip or to cover up, the fundamental issue is the same: women’s bodies are not their own.

[radfemih8men]

Men complain about not being able to have sex yet they live with the privilege of not fearing it, they live with the privilege of not being shamed for it, they live with the privilege of not being ashamed about their wants, men even if you don’t have sex (which is deserved because you’re probably a pos) you’re lucky as hell.

[feministdragon]

every once in a while a discussion flares up on tumblr:  separatism vs activism reading through the various arguments I find myself agreeing with both sides in a lot of places.   the activism side argues that without it, we wouldn’t have the right to vote, bank accounts, property ownership, financial independence, sexual harassment and abortion laws, a lot of practical structures that free women in concrete ways.  i completely agree with this. the separatism side argues that women need a space away from men to experience themselves as human beings, to experience freedom and to experience female solidarity, and to develop networks of mutual aid.  I also completely agree with this. and then everyone starts fighting, which i really don’t understand.   We need both!  Both is good!   There are more than enough women in the world to do all the projects!  We can have some women creating separatist spaces for women to take shelter in, and we can have some women banding together to create practical change that free women in the short term.   What is there to argue about? I mean, maybe the background of this is the whole lesbian vs straight women thing?   Which tbh i also don’t understand why we have to fight about this.  I’m a lesbian, and the majority of my friends and feminist collaborators are straight women.  just by looking at the women around me I’m very very aware of how being partnered with a woman saves me an incredible amount of bullshit in my life, and yet I’m equally aware of why women choose to be het-partnered. for example in our organization there’s one women whose job title includes the word ‘responsible’.  Her husband began a campaign to undermine her participation by telling her that because her job title said ‘responsible’ that when our organization ‘inevitably bankrupted’ she would be left holding the legal debt which then (his main point) would impact him.  So she was scared by him into wanting to leave her position, when we really don’t have anyone else who can fill that right now, and so it would have caused a huge strain on us, but also, she’s perfect for this position, it’s very good for her, and she likes the work.  We were able to show her that he was just fucking with her, that the legal responsiblity for the money actually lay with a different role in the org, but it was yet another example of how men could reach into our private business and stir us about, because of how women are so financialy and emotionaly bound up with their legal male partners. so, do I cut off my friendship with this woman just because her husband is a danger to us?  Obviously not, because her husband is even more of a danger to her, and I’m trying to support her until her children are old enough that she can safely choose to leave him.   Is it irritating that her husband can just reach through her and fuck with us like that?  Absolutely.  Am I angry that women are constantly misled into marriage and find out too late that they are trapped?  Of fucking course.   Do I then conclude that all straight women are bullshit?   Also of course not.   But am I going to be cautious about who joins the group in future, and only let in lesbians?   Also of course not.  Because every set of hands is valuable and necessary, and we do other things to protect ourselves (like not let any man have a position of power in the org).  so what I want to ask is,  what is the separatism/activism divide about? why are people making it a choice between the two things?  is the foundational problem just either-or thinking?    if you are separatist why do you side-eye male-involved women?   if you are a male-involved woman, why do you side-eye separatists?

(crossposted on the Cloven Hooves forum if you want to comment on it there)

[ghibliradfem]

Repost from my instagram @/ghibli_radfem 💜 Unedited version from @/softcore_trauma on insta ✨

[moidhaterxxx]

Ik people consider motherhood as amazing and beyond reproach for every woman but I want to challenge that assumption especially for daughters like why are so many mothers especially horrible to their daughters? Jealous of their own baby? Can you imagine a mom being like that with their son? They'd rather be more jealous of who their son dates instead lol.

Patriarchy has poisoned even the most pure bond there should be.