#derision towards asexuality was STARTED by TERFs bc being a reactionary turns you into a bully; but asexuality doesn't challenge radfeminis

[hilplusterrorss]

re ur comment on ifairy's recent post - in my experience the majority of anti mspec lesbian rhetoric has been either from radfems or has obviously been picked up from radfems. so I'd be interested to know what ur experiences have been and why you don't agree with the use of the term 'BLERF'

I actually don't think I've ever seen a TERF even reference the term - I've only ever seen it from exclusionists and the like. In fact, I've even seen people who are otherwise inclusionists, even being pro-neopronouns and microidentities, and still considering mspec lesbians "invalid." TERFs don't really start shit about microidentities like that, they're busy shitting on trans people, or, if they want to seem more palatable, sex work. It's exclus who have the time and motivation to attack people with more obscure identities than them. Basically, while radfems would call mspec lesbians ableist slurs and harass them as they would anyone else who isn't lesbian, gay, and maybe bisexual, radfem rhetoric doesn't have any particular effect on mspec lesbians and gays. This is why creating labels like AERF and BLERF aren't really helpful, because they're putting something that has a vague connection to radfems on them entirely, which in turn lifts blame from the exclusionists that do all the work. Having a funky sexuality label doesn't attack radfem ideology. Bodily sexual autonomy does. Gender does. That's why SWERF exists as a label alongside TERF, because it's fundamental that they attack trans people and sex work. Individual sexualities may, and probably will, be attacked as well, but it's not necessary.

Tl;dr: mspec lesbian exclusion is based in the policing of microidentities within the community, not in bioessentialism. TERFs think that mspec lesbians are stupid, but aren't fundamentally challenged by their existence. This is why terms that don't refer to the inherent victims of radfem rhetoric, trans people and sex workers, are not helpful. They can even cause harm by shifting the blame off of the exclusionists who perpetuate it.