Adult human female
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The phrase "adult human female" is a slogan adopted by anti-gender and gender-critical (also known as TERF) movements, with the aim of excluding trans women from the definition of "woman". The phrase is a dictionary definition of woman, but its usage in social and political discourse has also been interpreted as a trans-exclusionary and gender essentialist statement which defines "women" as being strictly assigned female at birth and cisgender. Scholars have described it as a dog whistle for transphobic beliefs and a form of coded hate speech. The phrase is often accompanied by other anti-trans rhetoric, sometimes as an answer to the rhetorical question "What is a woman?".[1]
Usage
[edit]Criminology researchers Brightman, Lenning & DeJong identify the term as a common catchphrase in anti-trans discourse, alongside "gender ideology" and "groomer".[2][page needed] Sociologists Amery & Mondon say the phrase frames anti-trans movements as guarding scientific "truths" (e.g. that sex is immutable) against an emotional "trans ideology", which they compare to the red pill metaphor used by the alt-right and manosphere.[3]
The phrase is often accompanied by the rhetorical question "What is a woman?" that has become a widespread rhetorical strategy in anti-trans discourse,[1][page needed] popularized by the film What Is a Woman? by Matt Walsh.[citation needed]
History
[edit]Adoption by anti-trans movements
[edit]British anti-trans[4] activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull is credited with coining the phrase.[5] In 2018, Keen-Minshull purchased billboards in Liverpool which read "woman / wʊmən / noun / adult human female", Keen-Minshull said were in response to the mayor of Liverpool expressing support for trans rights.[6] The ad company which installed the billboards removed them following social media complaints, saying they had been "misled" by the campaign.[6][7] On 19 September, the Liverpool city council unanimously passed a motion declaring that "trans women are women” and that “there is no place in our city for hatred and bigotry".[8]
In 2023 screening of the film Adult Human Female, which asserts that women are defined solely by biological sex, was cancelled at Edinburgh University after the film had faced protests.[9][10]
Use by second Trump administration
[edit]Leading up to the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump campaigned heavily on opposing transgender rights, especially trans women in sports and gender pronouns.[11]
On 20 January 2025, the first day of his second term as president, Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14168, which rolled back federal recognition of transgender people and ended gender self-identification on identity documents such as passports and visas. The order declares that women and girls refer to "adult and juvenile human females, respectively".[12][13][14] The Trump transition team had presented the planned executive order as part of a wider agenda of "restoring sanity".[15]
In dictionaries
[edit]English dictionaries commonly define woman as "an adult female human" or "an adult female human being".[16][17]
In 2020, Merriam-Webster expanded its definitions of female and girl to add trans-inclusive senses ("having a gender identity that is the opposite of male"; "a person whose gender identity is female"). In 2022, a man from California was arrested for threatening to bomb Merriam-Webster's offices and kill its employees.[18] In September 2022 he pleaded guilty to communication of threatening communications to commit violence, and in April 2023 he was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and three years of supervised release.[19]
In October 2022, the Cambridge Dictionary added supplemental definitions of man and woman: "an adult who lives and identifies as [male/female] though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth."[20]
See also
[edit]- Transphobia
- 21st-century anti-trans movement in the United Kingdom
- 2020s anti-LGBTQ movement in the United States
- Gender-critical feminism
- Anti-gender movement
- "Gender ideology"
- Kamala is for they/them
- Executive Order 14168
References
[edit]- ^ a b Moyal-Sharrock, Danièle; Sandis, Constantine (2024). Real Gender: A Cis Defence of Trans Realities. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781509555864.
- ^ Brightman, Sara (2022). "Anti-Transgender Ideology, Laws, and Homicide: An Analysis of the Trifecta of Violence". Homicide Studies. 28 (3): 251–269. doi:10.1177/10887679231201803.
- ^ Amery, Fran; Mondon, Aurelien (2024). "Othering, peaking, populism and moral panics: The reactionary strategies of organised transphobia". The Sociological Review. doi:10.1177/00380261241242283.
- ^ McClure, Tess; Graham-McLay, Charlotte (26 March 2023). "Anti-trans activist Posie Parker leaves New Zealand after chaotic protests". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ^ "Who is Posie Parker? The controversial anti-trans activist heading to Scotland". The National. 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
- ^ a b "Woman billboard removed after transphobia row". 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
- ^ Braidwood, Ella (2018-09-26). "Liverpool's anti-trans billboard is taken down by ad company". PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
- ^ "Liverpool's anti-trans billboard is taken down by ad company". PinkNews. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ "Edinburgh University cancels film screening after trans rights protest". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ "Edinburgh University under fire for 'Adult Human Female' screening". The National. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ "Trump Declares War on Transgender People". motherjones. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "'Woman means adult human female': Trump to sign executive order on gender hours after he's sworn in". Attitude. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government", Whitehouse.gov
- ^ "Trump will order rolling back protecting rights of transgender Americans". Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ "Trump to sign executive orders proclaiming there are only two biological sexes, halting diversity programs". NBC News. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ "woman, n. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary". www.oed.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-24. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
- ^ "Definition of WOMAN". www.merriam-webster.com. 2025-01-31. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
- ^ "Man arrested for allegedly threatening Merriam-Webster over definition of female". ABC News. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
- ^ "California Man Sentenced for Threatening Merriam-Webster with Anti-LGBTQ Violence". www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr. United States Attorney's Office District of Massachusetts. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ Kaur, Harmeet (2022-12-15). "Cambridge Dictionary's definitions for 'man' and 'woman' now include trans people". CNN. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
- Political catchphrases
- Anti-gender movement
- Anti-LGBTQ sentiment
- Discrimination against transgender people
- Right-wing populism
- Transphobia
- Propaganda techniques
- Hate speech
- Euphemisms
- Gender policy of Donald Trump
- Trump administration controversies
- 2025 in LGBTQ history
- 2020s anti-LGBTQ movement in the United States