Gender-critical feminism, also known as trans-exclusionary radical feminism or TERFism,[1][2][3][4] is an ideology or movement that opposes what it refers to as "gender ideology",[5] the concept of gender identity and transgender rights, especially gender self-identification. Gender-critical feminists believe that sex is biological and immutable,[6] while believing gender, including both gender identity and gender roles, to be inherently oppressive. They reject the concept of transgender identities.[7]
Gender-critical feminism has been described as transphobic by feminist and scholarly critics,[1][4] and is opposed by many feminist, LGBT rights, and human rights organizations.[21][22] The Council of Europe has condemned gender-critical ideology, among other ideologies, and linked it to "virulent attacks on the rights of LGBTI people" in Hungary, Poland, Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and other countries.[23]UN Women has described the gender-critical movement, among other movements, as extreme anti-rights movements that employ hate propaganda and disinformation.[24][25]
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^Willem, Cilia; Platero, R. Lucas; Tortajada, Iolanda (2022). "Trans-exclusionary Discourses on Social Media in Spain". Identities and Intimacies on Social Media. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. pp. 185–200. doi:10.4324/9781003250982-15. ISBN978-1-003-25098-2. OCLC1334107848.