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'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'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'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'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'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's far too long as is.
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