Read on Twitter
I listened to a bit of the audio recording of the "TERF Industrial Complex" talk (via @hatpinwoman) and thought I would share what I heard with you all.
Everything that appears in quotes was said by Grace Lavery (unless otherwise noted).
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Everything that appears in quotes was said by Grace Lavery (unless otherwise noted).
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She starts out by saying that in developing her "theory of the terf industrial complex," she& #39;s been thinking "why is this group [terfs] so powerful, and yet how does it understand itself as so powerless?"
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Lavery has a "three part understanding of the terf industrial complex, in the middle of the which is a group called the gender critical feminists, which is a more or less marginal group of feminist thinkers and activists."
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In the other direction (the 2nd part), are the "anti-woke/alt-right trolls," such as Graham Linehan, and the "anti-woke left" which includes figures like Andrew Doyle, who apparently has links to anti-trans activists and the alt-right (through Ann Coulter).
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This also includes the "odd anti-woke left movement that is borne around the revolutionary communist party, which is not a communist party, in fact, but it is an odd cult of personality...that is remarkably influential online."
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According to Lavery, we (gc feminists) have apparently formed a pact with the "totally unacceptable trolling alt-right swath." However, she thinks that this alliance is fracturing.
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She says that the fracturing of this alliance can be seen by:
1) Graham Linehan being kicked off Twitter for whatever he said about Lavery
2) Kathleen Stock "disavowing" GCs who mock the appearances of trans people/call them pedophiles
3) The closure of /r/GenderCritical
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1) Graham Linehan being kicked off Twitter for whatever he said about Lavery
2) Kathleen Stock "disavowing" GCs who mock the appearances of trans people/call them pedophiles
3) The closure of /r/GenderCritical
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In fact, Lavery believes that we are at a moment in time where the alliance between "the Graham Linehams of the world and the Kathleen Stocks of the world can no longer quite hold."
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The third part of the terf industrial complex are the "liberal institutionalists," who Lavery thinks "probably don& #39;t have much in common with the gender critical feminists in their view of the world, but who have some sense that free speech is being threatened."
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Due to their desire to protect free speech (in order to protect "liberal organs of the state," like universities/political parties), these people "are willing to go along with GC feminists, not realizing that they& #39;re also getting into bed with the alt-right trolls."
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What is a terf?:
"A terf...is a political money launderer. The terf is the person that makes alt-right troll techniques and politics acceptable to liberals, who under no other circumstances would acknowledge their relationship w or their debt to ppl like Milo Yiannopoulos."
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"A terf...is a political money launderer. The terf is the person that makes alt-right troll techniques and politics acceptable to liberals, who under no other circumstances would acknowledge their relationship w or their debt to ppl like Milo Yiannopoulos."
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However, "because it& #39;s coming from this apparently embattled group of white feminists, that relationship is allowed to be sustained."
Also, the organizer (Adrian?) admitted that they were being "a little tongue-in-cheek" when they chose the name "TERF Industrial Complex."
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Also, the organizer (Adrian?) admitted that they were being "a little tongue-in-cheek" when they chose the name "TERF Industrial Complex."
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This is where my transcription ends due to my lack of a desire to continue, but you can make of all that what you will.
I will be quote-retweeting this thread in order to add my commentary because it& #39;s far too long as is.
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I will be quote-retweeting this thread in order to add my commentary because it& #39;s far too long as is.
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