Radical feminism

{{gender}}{{cquote|I'm a radical feminist, not the fun kind.|||[[Andrea Dworkin]]}}

'''Radical feminism''' is a branch of [[feminism]] distinguished by its study of [[patriarchy]] as an end in itself rather than as a secondary aspect of some larger [[intersectionality |intersectional]] system. Contrary to what the name may suggest to some people, it is generally <i>not</i> just insane or hateful feminism. 

Terms like "radical feminist" get used as [[snarl word]]s for ''any'' feminist or feminist idea that threatens misogynistic [[bigot]]s' sense of what women should (or should not) be and do, oftentimes ideas that are not [[radical]] at all.

==Radical feminism, the branch==
As a specific branch of feminism, radical feminism takes the point of view that [[society]] under patriarchal rules is necessarily oppressive to [[women]]<ref>[http://feminism.suite101.com/article.cfm/types_of_feminism Types of feminism]</ref> and that ''[[gender]]'' is entirely a [[social construct]] made for the benefit of patriarchy.<ref>Lynn Cooper, [https://web.archive.org/web/20100627082756/https://www.scribd.com/doc/27474285/Social-Justice-Resource-Toolkit Social Justice Resource Toolkit].</ref>{{rp|6}} For radical feminists, true [[equality]] between the sexes can only be brought about by bringing down these [[social construct]]s of gender along with the rest of the inequality-maintaining power structure — ''i.e.'', society as we know it. Radical feminists hold that the toppling of gender is ''central'' to toppling the power structure.  As a contrast, [[liberal]] feminism generally holds that ending any [[legal]] inequalities and other exclusionary policies will gradually do the trick, and radical feminism's most immediate ideological predecessor, [[Marxist]] feminism, holds that the toppling of [[social class|class]] structures is central.

While parallels are drawn between the oppression of women and the oppression of other groups, the oppression of women is taken as the most basic.  Patriarchy uses the oppression of women as both a model for oppressing others as well as an actual tool to maintain the range of social oppressions.<ref>[http://www.feministissues.com/radical_feminism.html A somewhat more detailed description of radical feminism]</ref>

==Radical feminism, the snarl word==
Contrary to the impression deliberately created by [[wingnut]] ideologues (such as [[Rush Limbaugh]], who coined the [[irony meter]]-breaking term "[[Hitler and abortion|feminazi]]"),<ref>[http://mediamatters.org/items/200509010003 Just one example among countless]</ref> the term "radical" does not necessarily imply extremism or even militancy. Radical feminists essentially seek to get to the "root causes"<ref>Note that "root" is a synonym for "radical."</ref> of oppression in order to dismantle it, and believe that this root cause is sexism, from which other forms of oppression such as [[racism]] were copied. However, exactly ''how'' sexism is to be challenged is a matter for debate.

Despite this, some [[fundamentalist]]s have succeeded to some degree at convincing the [[American]] public that, instead of only opposing a system that disproportionally benefits men and seeking a more equal one, feminism is [[Misandry|opposed to men]] in general, and seeks to create an [[Men's rights movement|inversion of gender relations in which men are persecuted by women]]. They do this by [[Nutpicking|holding up those radical feminists who ''do'' engage in inflammatory rhetoric and harbor extreme ideas]], such as [[Andrea Dworkin]], [[Valerie Solanas]], and Mary Daly — poster children for the right's version of the term — and then claiming that the only difference between these feminists and the rest is that the latter are better at masking their hate.<ref>[http://susiebright.blogs.com/susie_brights_journal_/2005/04/andrea_dworkin_.html In the case of Andrea Dworkin, the wingnuts are denouncing her with one hand and ripping off her anti-pornography screeds with the other, leading to some amusement from bystanders.]</ref>  This is not particularly new; see [[watermelon]].

"Radical feminist" hence serves as a [[snarl word]] against anyone who espouses liberal or egalitarian positions on sexuality and sexual politics (or even against female left-wingers in general).

==Radical feminism and sexual minorities==
===Transphobia===
{{main|Trans-exclusionary radical feminism}}
There has been,<ref>Janice Raymond, ''The Transsexual Empire: the Making of the She-Male'' (Boston: Beacon Press, 1979), [http://www.amazon.com/Transsexual-Empire-Making-She-Male-Athene/dp/0807762725]</ref> and continues to be,<ref> "[[Germaine Greer]] Paints a Portrait of Transphobic Feminism," Feministe, 2009 August 22, [http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2009/08/22/germaine-greer-paints-a-portrait-of-transphobic-feminism]</ref><ref>Julie Bindel, "Gender benders beware," ''The Guardian'', 2004 January 30. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/jan/31/gender.weekend7]</ref> a rich current of [[Transphobia|anti-transgender bigotry]] underlying some minor branches of feminist thought on the issue of gender and being transgender in general.  While not all radical feminists would agree, those that critique transgender experiences maintain (generally contrary to both what trans people themselves have said about their own identities, and the [[medical]] consensus on [[gender dysphoria]]) that trans women are nothing more than "effeminate men" who have been relegated by the patriarchal [[gender binary]] to the status of women (whereas trans men, when they bother to mention them at all, are just women trying to claim "male [[privilege]]" for themselves). Thus they slam transgender people in general for "reifying the gender binary."<ref group=note>Which is, arguably, what TERFs do themselves, professing a desire to "[[Abolition of gender|abolish gender]]" while in reality advocating for a strict division of "men" and "women" based on biological sex rather than gender identity.</ref> 

The term '''TERF''' (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) has slowly begun to displace other terms for these radfems in 2012 and 2013; it's probably the most precise term yet coined to use in lieu of "second waver" (a very imprecise chronological term) and unqualified "radfem" (based on the academic definition, not all radfems are TERFs), even if it doesn't cover their [[SWERF|attitudes on porn]] and gender relations.

Some radical feminists believe that the term is used as a mere slur against radical feminists or lesbians, rather than as a word against people who dare criticize and discriminate against transgender individuals. However, the word is not a slur, nor is it used against lesbians as a whole. Rather, the word is meant to describe "feminists" who have offensive and/or discriminatory beliefs about trans people and who say, do, and/or think transphobic things.

TERFs have created an entire ecosystem of organizations promoting transphobia, with organizations such as [[Women's Declaration International]], [[FiLiA]] and [[Women's Platform for Action International]].

Not all people who criticize politics around transgender people are TERFS. For instance, when a person points out that the idea of transgender can easily be misinterpreted in a way that reinforces people's assumptions about gender roles and stereotypes, and erases out the existence of gender non-conforming people ("Our little son likes to play with Barbie dolls and is a bit effeminate, so it must mean he's actually a girl!"), that is not necessarily a "TERF" idea (nor is it true). That said, most people who claim to criticize "transgender politics" are in fact TERFs. Another common criticism made by radical feminists, especially towards trans women, is about certain misogynistic views that some have, such as if a trans woman is said to be better than a "woman who menstruates."

===Sex work===

[[Sex work]]ers are divided into those who wanted to be in sex work and those forced into it. Radical feminists, and especially [[TERF#Sex worker exclusionary radical feminism|SWERFs]] (sex worker-exclusionary radical feminists), sometimes fail to make the distinction adequately, with the result that they've given feminism in general a bad name among voluntary sex workers. On the flipside, radfems (like most people) are strongly opposed to [[slavery|human trafficking]] and [[rape|sexual violence]].

==="Queer"===

Some radical feminist lesbian separatists dislike the use of the term "queer."  They feel that the term "queer" minimizes or erases lesbian and gay identity, because it includes people who are not exclusively same-sex attracted. Radical feminists believe that the term "queer" is a euphemism for bisexual, and that lesbians who identify as "queer" are stopping short of naming their actual homosexuality. {{citation needed}} This is biphobia.

==Radical feminism and radical right-wingers==
Some people attempt to excuse bigoted attitudes on the part of such groups as radical feminists on the grounds that those groups lack the collective power to act on their attitudes in any meaningful way. This is demonstrably false in the case of radical feminists, whose attitudes have made a mark on the [[real world]] [[horseshoe theory|when they lined up with ''similar attitudes'']] on the part of right-wingers.

For example, conservatives in both the U.S. and [[Canada]] found [[Andrea Dworkin]]'s civil rights-based arguments against [[pornography]] to be just what they were looking for following their previous failure to ban it, and Dworkin's idea was adopted into Canadian law in a way that even Dworkin did not like.<ref name="CanadaStatement">MacKinnon, Catherine A. and Andrea Dworkin. "Statement by Catharine A. Mackinnon and Andrea Dworkin Regarding Canadian Customs and Legal Approaches to Pornography."  August 26, 1994.  The Andrea Dworkin Online Library.  [http://www.nostatusquo.com/ACLU/dworkin/OrdinanceCanada.html]</ref> [[Janice Raymond]], radical feminist author of ''The Transsexual Empire'', collaborated with Senator [[Jesse Helms]] (yes, ''that'' Jesse Helms) during the 1980s in order to deny coverage for sexual reassignment surgery under Medicare.<ref>"Janice G. Raymond, Ph.D.," Transsexual, Transgender, and Intersex History, 1998, [http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/Rogue%20Theories/Raymond/Transsexual,%20Transgender,%20and%20Intersex%20History__Janice%20Raymond.htm]</ref>

==Nutpicks==
In a bit of [[nutpicking]], here are a few examples of people and their activities.
===Valerie Solanas===
{{main|Valerie Solanas}}
Apart from her writings on the subject, she is best known for attempting to murder Andy Warhol. She was also diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, so that could have as much to do with it as anything.
===Andrea Dworkin===
{{main|Andrea Dworkin}} 
If you're a man, it's apparently inevitable that you'll exploit or rape a woman. Additionally, she seemed to view rape as synonymous with intercourse, or at least that heterosexual sex was inherently violent.

===Mary Daly===
"If life is to survive on this planet, there must be a decontamination of the Earth. I think this will be accompanied by an evolutionary process that will result in a drastic reduction of the population of males."<ref>{{Cite web| last = Bridle| first = Susan| authorlink = | coauthors = | title = No Man's Land| work = | publisher = EnlightenNext Magazine| date = Fall–Winter 1999| url = | doi = |}}</ref> I think we can leave it there.

==See also==
*''[[Barbie: The Movie]]'' – Fantasy-comedy film satirising both the [[men's rights movement]] and radical feminism.
*[[Female supremacy]] – What many right-wingers claim radical feminism is.
*[[Political lesbianism]] – Practiced by some radical feminists.
*[[Snarl word]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Political terms]]
[[Category:Culture]]

Categories: Political terms, Culture