Women's Liberation Front

This article is about the American organization. For the Spanish organization, see Frente de Liberación de la Mujer.

The Women's Liberation Front (WoLF) is an American self-described radical feminist advocacy organization that opposes transgender rights and related legislation.[1][2][3] It has engaged in litigation on transgender topics, working against the Obama administration's Title IX directives which defined sex discrimination to include gender identity.[4] WoLF describes itself as radical feminist,[3] and according to its mission statement, it wishes to "abolish regressive gender roles and the epidemic of male violence using legal arguments, policy advocacy, and public education".[5] It has been described by news sources including The Washington Post, The Advocate, and NBC as feminist,[1][2][3] but progressive and feminist organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)[3]and the National Organization for Women (NOW)[6] challenge this characterization, with NOW describing WoLF, alongside Women's Declaration International, as "anti-trans bigots disguised as feminists".[6]

WoLF has been characterized by Vox, The New Republic, and La Presse as a "trans-exclusionary radical feminist" (TERF) group,[7][8][9] and it has been described as a hate group by the Gender Justice League[10] and the University of Wisconsin Law School QLaw student group.[5][11]

  1. ^ a b Ring, Trudy (January 30, 2019). "Anti-Trans Feminists Appear at Panel of Right-Wing Heritage Foundation". The Advocate. Archived from the original on March 7, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Fitzsimons, Tim (January 29, 2019). "Conservative group hosts anti-transgender panel of feminists "from the left"". NBC News. Archived from the original on May 3, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference WashingtonPost was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Amelia, Langas (November 14, 2017). ""Radical" feminist organization criticizes ETHS transgender locker room policy". The Daily Northwestern. Archived from the original on March 7, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Lee, Mia (2021-02-24). "Inclusion of anti-trans group in UW employment fair sparks controversy". The Badger Herald. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  6. ^ a b "Even if Bigots Insist it is, Waging a Hate Campaign Against Trans People is Not Feminist". National Organization for Women. 25 July 2023.
  7. ^ Burns, Katelyn (September 9, 2019). "The rise of anti-trans "radical" feminists, explained". Vox. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  8. ^ Hachey, Isabelle (June 12, 2019). "La femme qui dérange". La Presse. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021. Fait étonnant, celles qui luttent avec le plus de véhémence contre les droits des transgenres ne sont pas des machos frustrés, mais… des féministes de gauche. Elles ont même un nom : les TERF, acronyme anglais pour « trans-exclusionary radical feminists ». [Surprisingly, those who fight with the greatest vehemence against transgender rights are not frustrated male chauvinists, but left-wing feminists. They even have a name: TERF, an English acronym for "trans-exclusionary radical feminists". In the United States, they formed WoLF, the Women's Liberation Front, and spoke of transgender people as a "social contagion".]
  9. ^ Bauer, Sydney (February 11, 2020). "The New Anti-Trans Culture War Hiding in Plain Sight". The New Republic. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  10. ^ "Event at Seattle Public Library causes firestorm, group accused of being 'hate group'". KIRO 7 News Seattle. 2019-12-11. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  11. ^ Kolowrat, Hayden (2021-02-01). "UPDATED: QLaw opposes Women's Liberation Front's involvement in UW Law interview program". The Badger Herald. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.