Layer Two: Does a TERF Shit in the Woods?
The bedrock concept of TERF talking-points revolves around the corrosion of cis
women’s rights directly caused by trans rights. According to their view, there is a
direct inverse relationship between trans and cis rights; recognizing one
automatically degrades the other. Therefore they cannot coexist. Add the strongly
held conviction that trans people are simply delusional, perverted, or unstable,
perhaps even violent, and you arrive at the ideological center of Trans
Exclusionary Radical Feminism.
For years, before the issue of trans athletes rose to prominence, when pressed for
examples of how cis women’s rights are eroded by those of trans people, TERFs
pointed to public bathrooms.
They usually tell either one of two stories. The first goes something like this:
If we allow trans women access to women’s bathrooms—thereby allowing (in
their words) “biological men” in women’s spaces—any male sexual predator
could just enter the women’s bathroom claiming to be trans and harass women.
Defeating the purpose of gender segregated bathrooms.
Moreover, drawing from the long history of demonizing queer people, many
TERFs argue that trans women themselves are innately predatory and perverted.
Take Kathleen Stock, for example, a “feminist” professor in the UK who is
ardently opposed to trans women using women’s bathrooms. Speaking to a
packed room at the Oxford Union she said it was “crazy” to “have laws and
policies based on something that is totally internal. We are supposed to accept
what someone says about their gender identity as soon as they say it, and that is
the basis on which people are getting access to certain spaces where women are
vulnerable. … It is a risk of a man saying he is a woman and going into a space
and taking advantage of that.”
After falsely claiming that trans women commit sexual crimes at “higher rates
than the average male,” one student challenged Stock. “If you think trans people
aren’t violent,” she replied, “you need to talk to some criminologists.”
Okay, let’s do that. In a June 2022 study on sexual violence among teenagers
which involved 4,193 participants (with 7 percent being trans or non-binary),
researchers found that trans participants were less likely than their cis peers to
commit sexual violence. Furthermore, trans people were found to be more than
twice as likely to be the victims of sexual abuse. Sixty-seven percent of trans
youth had experienced “serious sexual violence.”
I’m not cherry picking my sources either, other studies have found the same
results (no proper study, on the other hand, supports the assertions of people like
Kathleen Stock). The American Medical Association warned in 2019 that trans
people face “an epidemic of violence.”
Another study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that,
“Relative to cisgender people, transgender individuals not only are at an elevated
risk of experiencing at least one form of physical or sexual violence, but also at an
increased risk of multiple types of violence over their life course. … In fact,
almost half of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals have been
sexually assaulted in their lifetime. The incidence of sexual violence is even
higher among TGD people of color.”
This is especially true for Black trans women. All three of those demographics are
subjected to a disproportionate amount of serious, institutionalized violence.
Black trans women find themselves at the intersection, bearing the trifecta of
being a woman, Black, and trans. Human Rights Campaign compiled a list of
anti-trans motivated murders—which they stress is an undercount—of which 61
percent of victims were Black.
Yet another study by the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute found that
“transgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to
experience violent victimization, including rape, sexual assault, and aggravated
or simple assault. … In 2017-2018, transgender people experience 86.2
victimizations per 1,000 people compared to 21.7 victimizations per 1,000 people
for cisgender people.”
I won’t belabor the point any further, but this is what happens when you follow
Kathleen Stock’s advice and “talk to some criminologists.”
On a personal note, I find it additionally disgusting how these transphobes
muddy the conversation around sexual violence. There is a good reason that
whenever trans bathroom bans have been proposed by lawmakers, virtually all
domestic violence shelters and similar organizations, like the ones that council
rape victims, strongly oppose it. Unlike these anti-trans “feminists”—in
quotes—the people working at these organizations dedicate their lives to helping
and advocating for abuse victims. They are not, as is tacitly implied by these
TERFs, in favor of eroding women’s rights and safety.
When North Carolina considered passing a ban on trans people using the public
bathroom that corresponds with their gender, over 200 organizations combating
domestic violence formed a coalition opposing the legislation. Their statement
read in part:
We,
the
undersigned
sexual
assault
and
domestic
violence
organizations,
oppose
antitransgender
initiatives.
These
initiatives
utilize
and
perpetuate
the
myth
that
protecting
transgender
people’s
access
to
restrooms
and
locker
rooms
endangers
the
safety
or
privacy
of
others.
As
organizations
that
care
about
reducing
assault
and
violence,
we
favor
laws
and
policies
that
protect
transgender
people
from
discrimination,
including
in
accessing
facilities
that
match the gender they live every day.
States
across
the
country
have
introduced
harmful
legislation
or
initiatives
that
seek
to
repeal
non-discrimination
protections
or
restrict
transgender
people’s
access
to
genderspecific
facilities
like
restrooms.
Those
who
are
pushing
these
proposals
have
claimed
that
these
proposals
are
necessary
for
public
safety
and
to
prevent
sexual
violence
against
women
and
children.
As
rape
crisis
centers,
shelters,
and
other
service
providers
who
work
each
and
every
day
to
meet
the
needs
of
all
survivors
and
reduce
sexual
assault
and
domestic
violence
throughout
society,
we
speak
from
experience
and
expertise
when we state that these claims are false.
Similarly, when the public-bathroom issue came up in 2014, the Anti-Violence
Project correctly pointed out that the emphasis placed on random assaults in
public bathrooms diverts attention away from the real conversation around
sexual violence:
Although
there
is
an
element
of
isolation
in
public
washrooms
that
increases
the
opportunity
for
physical
crimes
like
mugging
or
stealing
of
personal
property,
sexual
violence
itself
is
not
normally
a
danger
or
risk
in
these
spaces.
Research
shows
that
all
forms
of
sexualized
violence,
unfortunately,
occur
(80-
90%
of
the
time)
in
familiar
(home)
or
public
surroundings
(streets
or
parties),
and are committed by people who are known to the survivor.
Among the most misguided child-safety initiatives were the “stranger danger”
programs of the 1980s. The vast majority of child abuse or kidnapping cases are
perpetrated by someone who knows the child—most often a family member. Yet
these federal programs taught children to expect a man wearing a trench coat
lurking behind trees with a binocular, or some guy driving a white van offering
candy. Unfortunately, it left them more vulnerable to the most common form of
abuse.
But at least the programs in the ’80s were designed to help. Quite a different
motivation than today’s TERFs who hijack this serious topic in the service of
their own bigotry. I think it’s vile.
But there is a more palatable version of this TERF narrative, one that’s often
swallowed uncritically by the type of spineless, fence-sitting liberals who mistake
saying “I think both sides have merit” with being morally superior to the activists
down in the trenches. This version does not smear trans people outright as
predators, rather it is concerned about cis women feeling “uncomfortable” when
trans women use the bathroom.
(I wonder if I can stop funding the genocide in Palestine with my taxes if I claim
it makes me “uncomfortable.”)
Of course, the same bias underpins both narratives: cis women have a right to a
men-free area for their safety and comfort, but trans women are not entitled to
those same protections (despite clearly needing them, even more so than cis
women). These narratives can only be accepted if somewhere in your mind trans
women are not “real” women. Yet, many TERFs will insist that they are not
transphobic and are merely interested in protecting women. But these arguments
rely on transphobia—that is, a prejudice against trans people—as the foundation
on which they are build. Without some amount of anti-trans prejudice, even if it’s
subconscious, these narratives fall apart.
It’s also worth noting that trans men are often left out of this conversation
entirely—as they often are. Part of the reason is undoubtedly that, according to
the transphobic world view, trans women are merely cross-dressing men, which
opens them up to the same grotesque (and more violent) smears that gay men
regularly faced; whereas trans men are treated as confused tomboys, which
means they often get the old misogyny classic of not being taken seriously—like
many lesbians who were told they were merely confused or going through a
phase.
The notion that cis women would be uncomfortable washing their hands next to a
trans woman relies to some extent on the so-called toupée fallacy: “all toupées
are bad, I can always tell when someone is wearing one.” Never does it seem to
enter into their minds that many trans people “pass”—meaning they are not
noticeably trans. If bathroom bans were enacted, it would require a good number
of passing trans men with beards to use the lady’s room. I’m certain that won’t
make anyone involved uncomfortable or unsafe. What about a passing trans girl
having to use the men’s restroom wearing her miniskirt? I’m sure that won’t get
sketchy or awkward.
Basically, the anti-trans bathroom panic clearly demonstrates what this
movement is really about. None of the arguments withstand scrutiny and the
proposed bathroom bans would achieve exactly the opposite goals by which its
advocates claim to be motivated. For them, this is straightforwardly about small-
minded bigotry. And while the bathroom bans themselves never achieved
popularity, the cultural effects still had an ominous impact. Transphobes have
taken it upon themselves to police public bathrooms. In many cases, these toilet
vigilantes, most of them men, have harassed cis women when they’ve suspected
them of being trans.
For example, earlier this year in May, CBS News reported that the ironically
named Liberty Hotel in Boston kicked out a lesbian couple, falsely suspecting one
of them to be transgender due to her short hair:
The
couple
said
they
were
in
the
women’s
lobby
bathroom
when
a
male
security
guard
came
in
and
started
banging
on
the
stall
doors.
…
“One
of
the
security
guards
was
there
telling
me
to
get
out
of
the
bathroom,
that
I
was
a
man
in
the
women’s
bathroom.
I
said,
‘I’m
a
woman.’
”
…
[Ansley]
Baker
was
born
a
woman
and
identifies
as
a
woman.
But,
she
said
she
was
escorted
out
of
the
restroom
and
then
comments
were
directed
at
her
from
other
women
waiting
in
line.
“Someone
said,
‘Get
him
out
of
here,’
referring
to
me.
‘He’s
a
creep,’ also referring to me,” Baker said.
In 2022, a TikTok went viral when a cis woman, also with short hair, filmed
herself getting harassed in a casino bathroom. She later said, “I think the most
upsetting part is the fact she thought I was a trans child and was literally
attacking me and no one said ‘Boo.’ ”
Or take the case of Aimee Toms. After donating her hair to a charity that makes
wigs for child cancer patients she got harassed in a Walmart bathroom. Local
Connecticut newspaper Newstimes (an offensively uninspired name) reported,
[As]
Toms
was
washing
her
hands
…
a
stranger
approached
her
and
said,
‘You’re disgusting!’ and ‘You don’t belong here!’
After
momentary
confusion,
she
realized
that
the
woman
next
to
her
thought—because
of
her
pixie-style
haircut
and
baseball
cap—that
she
was
transgender.
…
“After
experiencing
the
discrimination
they
face
firsthand,
I
cannot
fathom
the
discrimination
transgender
people
must
face
in
a
lifetime,”
she
said.
“Can
you
imagine
going
out
every
day
and
having
people
tell
you
you
should not be who you are or that people will not accept you as who you are?”
Another example comes from Texas, where the Dallas Observer reported that a
man
barged
into
a
women’s
restroom
at
Baylor
Medical
Center
in
Frisco
on
Thursday
to
make
sure
that
Jessica
Rush,
who
manages
a
local
health-food
takeout
place,
was peeing in the proper place.
She
was,
for
the
record,
and
her
situation
isn’t
particularly
complicated.
Rush
was
born
and
identifies
as
female
and
has
no
plans
to
change
that.
“I
look
very much like a girl,” she says. “I’m not trying to transition, nothing like that.”
But
rush
wears
her
hair
in
a
bleached
blond
fauxhawk
and
dresses
androgynously.
On
Thursday,
she
was
wearing
a
T-shirt
from
her
alma
mater,
Texas
Tech,
with
basketball
shorts.
As
the
man
at
Baylor
explained
after
walking
into
the
restroom
behind
her,
[…]
“When
I
saw
you
enter
I
thought
you
was…” the man says.
“A boy?” Rush offers.
“Yeah,
it
was
kind
of
confusing.”
[…]
“You
dress
like
a
man,”
he
says
several
times as he walks away.
Later,
in
the
doctor’s
office
lobby
where
Rush
was
waiting
to
have
a
pair
of
broken
fingers
looked
at,
the
man
elaborated
that
he
was
concerned
that
a
man
had
entered
the
same
bathroom
his
mother
was
going
to
use.
[…]
The
guy
at
Baylor
isn’t
the
first
person
who’s
found
himself
confused
by
Rush’s
self-
presentation.
Once,
when
Rush
was
at
Hobby
Lobby,
a
woman
accosted
her
for
trying
to
enter
the
restroom
her
granddaughter
was
using.
Another
woman
berated
Rush
for
brazenly
waltzing
into
the
24
Hour
Fitness
locker
room
before
recognizing that Rush was, in fact, a woman and muttering an apology.
[…]The
confusion
isn’t
universal,
however,
because
the
women’s
restroom
was
full
and
figuring
that
everyone
mistook
her
for
a
dude
anyways,
she
tried
using
the
men’s
bathroom
at
a
bar.
Its
occupants
were
immediately
panic
stricken.
“Whoa,
there’s
a
chick
in
the
bathroom!”
they
yelled.
“Get
out,
get
out!”
“It
makes
me
feel
suuuper
insecure,”
Rush
says
of
the
bathroom
confrontations.
Just for good measure, consider another viral video from 2016. SBS News
described it thusly:
In
the
video,
the
unnamed
woman
tries
to
convince
the
two
male
officers
and
one
female
officer
present
that
she
is
a
woman,
her
friends
shout
in
her
support
“she’s a girl,” which the officers ignore.
The
police
then
ask
the
woman
for
identification
to
prove
her
sex.
She
rejects
their
demand,
offended.
The
male
officers
then
manhandle
her
out
of
the
restroom, whilst calling her “sir.”
The
police
eventually
tell
the
woman’s
friends,
who
are
still
vouching
for
her female identity, “you can all leave if you want.”
Stories such as these caused the public to sour on bathroom bans. Even people
who were mostly uninterested in trans rights grew opposed to policing public
bathrooms. Even Donald Trump in 2016 campaigned against bathroom bans.
This deprived the anti-trans movement of their one example showing how trans
rights decrease women’s rights.
The bathroom bans had failed. The search was on for a new vector of attack.
Soon, they found one.