It’s 2025, and somehow, we’re still entertaining the idea that transgender people, especially trans women, are “erasing” women from society. If that phrase makes you roll your eyes so hard you see your own brain, you’re not alone. The accusation isn’t new, but in recent years, it’s gained new traction, particularly in conservative politics, reactionary feminism, and viral misinformation campaigns designed to pit marginalized groups against each other.
Let’s be very clear: trans people aren’t erasing women. We are women. Or men. Or nonbinary. Or however we identify. What we are not is a threat to womanhood or anyone else’s identity.
But the louder we live, the more backlash we get. So, let’s break down this ridiculous narrative piece by piece. Spoiler alert: it’s not about “protecting women.” It’s about controlling who’s allowed to exist.
Where Did This “Erasure” Nonsense Come From?
The roots of the “trans erasure of women” argument lie in two deeply intertwined movements: the rise of trans-exclusionary radical feminism (TERFism) and the weaponization of “gender critical” talking points by right-wing politicians. What started as an internal debate among a small group of feminists decades ago has since morphed into a widespread culture war tactic.
At its core, the argument goes like this: If people born with penises can call themselves women, then the category of “woman” is meaningless. If gender is a spectrum, then biological sex is under attack. If cisgender women are asked to share public spaces with trans women, then their safety is at risk. It’s a slippery slope fallacy soaked in fear and reinforced by propaganda.
Sound familiar? It’s the same tired structure used to attack Black civil rights, gay marriage, and immigrants. The idea that expanding rights for one group somehow “takes away” rights from another is not only false, it’s intellectually lazy.
Trans Women Aren’t Replacing Cis Women-We’re Fighting the Same System
Let’s be real: if cisgender women are facing discrimination, limited reproductive rights, wage gaps, and rising violence (and they are), that is not because trans women exist. It’s because patriarchy exists. It’s because misogyny exists. It’s because systems built on control, oppression, and dominance thrive on distraction and scapegoating.
Trans women do not have institutional power. We are disproportionately unemployed, unhoused, assaulted, and murdered, especially trans women of color. So when people claim we’re “taking over,” what they’re really reacting to is visibility. We’re no longer hiding. We’re thriving, creating art, leading protests, raising families, running for office, and yes, existing loudly.
That isn’t erasure. That’s power reclamation.
Language Wars and the False Panic Over “Birthing People”
You’ve heard the arguments: “Don’t say chestfeeding!” “Don’t call me a person with a uterus!” And look, we get it. Language is personal. But these talking points have been hijacked to paint inclusive terms as some kind of attack on womanhood, when in reality, they’re tools to make sure everyone gets healthcare and recognition.
Terms like “pregnant people” exist because not everyone who can get pregnant identifies as a woman; think trans men and nonbinary people. The use of inclusive language doesn’t erase cis women. It just acknowledges that others exist, too. If the word “woman” is still being used in medical, legal, and cultural contexts (and it is), then it’s not being erased; it’s just not being monopolized.
If someone’s identity feels threatened by the inclusion of others, that’s not erasure. That’s ego.
Feminism That Doesn’t Include Trans Women Isn’t Feminism
The most dangerous voices in this conversation aren’t always the politicians. Sometimes, they’re the self-proclaimed feminists who claim to care about women’s rights, unless those women are trans.
TERF rhetoric is steeped in the idea that trans women are infiltrators, men in disguise, or predators waiting to strike. It’s the same garbage used to keep gay men out of locker rooms in the 1950s and Black women out of bathrooms in the 1960s. It’s fearmongering dressed up as concern.
And it’s not just wrong, it’s deadly. Trans-exclusionary feminism actively collaborates with far-right ideologies, pushing laws that ban gender-affirming care, exclude trans kids from schools, and police our bodies in ways that harm all women.
Feminism should be about liberation, not gatekeeping. If your feminism only supports women who look, sound, and live like you, it’s not feminism; it’s control.
The Real Erasure? Trans People From History, Media, and Safety
If you want to talk about erasure, let’s talk facts:
- Trans people have existed throughout history in Indigenous cultures, in ancient societies, and in modern revolutions. The attempt to scrub us from those narratives is erasure.
- Trans people are banned or censored in classrooms, with states pulling books, removing curriculum, and punishing teachers who affirm students.
- Trans people are being banned from sports, bathrooms, and medical care, often under the guise of “protecting women,” but without any concern for actual female victims of violence, especially those who are trans.
We are being erased from records, institutions, and public life. Not because we’re a threat, but because we represent change. And change scares those who benefit from the status quo.
“Loud” Isn’t the Problem-It’s That You Can’t Ignore Us Anymore
Trans people have always existed. The difference now is that you can see us.
We’re not begging for scraps anymore. We’re starting businesses, winning elections, starring in major media, and sharing our stories without shame. That visibility threatens people who were comfortable when we were silent, hidden, or dead.
Let’s be honest: when people say we’re “loud,” what they mean is unapologetic. We’ve stopped whispering. We’ve stopped apologizing for taking up space. And in a world built to keep us invisible, that feels like an attack to those used to seeing only themselves reflected.
But we’re not sorry. We’re not going back. And we’re not erasing anyone; we’re just done being erased.
The Politics of Division Are a Distraction from Real Problems
This entire narrative of “trans people erasing women” is a distraction. A political shell game.
While people argue over whether trans girls can play soccer, states are gutting reproductive rights, dismantling healthcare systems, ignoring sexual assault, and turning public education into a battlefield.
Cis women and trans people are both under attack, but instead of working together, we’re being encouraged to tear each other apart. Why? Because infighting keeps the real power structures intact.
The call is coming from inside the house, and it’s not a trans woman holding the knife; it’s lawmakers writing anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-worker legislation while the rest of us are busy defending our right to pee in peace.
If You Care About Women, You Care About All Women
Let’s bring this back to basics: If you believe in gender equality, bodily autonomy, and safety from violence, then you’re already fighting for trans rights, whether you admit it or not.
You can’t pick and choose which women you support. You can’t build a movement on exclusion and call it empowerment. And you can’t call yourself a feminist if your vision of womanhood stops at your own reflection.
Final Thoughts—We’re Not Going Anywhere
Here’s the truth they don’t want to admit: we’ve already won. Not every legal battle, not every cultural fight, but the war of existence? We won that the second we chose to live as our full, authentic selves.
We are here. We are many. And we are not an anomaly.
So to those still clinging to this tired idea that trans people are erasing women: look again. We are women. We are also men. We are nonbinary. We are expansive and unstoppable. We are not erasing anyone. We are living. Loudly.
And we’re not asking for permission.
