my experience with trans-exclusionary radical feminism

I've read an interesting study about TERFs which made me want to share my experience as someone who, unfortunately, was once a TERF as well.

For some context I'm from Russia and feminism spaces in Russian-speaking communities are full of TERFs. Being gender critical is so normalised to the point that it is considered shameful to not be transphobic. I started to get interested in radical feminism when I was around 14 years old and got influenced by the TERF rhetoric. I was a typical teenager without an established worldview or identity but with a strong need to belong and a lack of critical thinking which, honestly, made me like the easiest target ever.

Trans-exclusionary radical feminism is an alt-right pipeline without a doubt. TERFs share the same controversial views as the right-wing but wholeheartedly believe that they are "different" because they are fighting for women's rights this way (which is hard to say because they spend majority of their time arguing about transgenders instead of actually doing anything remotely useful for women...). TERFs think that their view on transgender activism being "sexist and dangerous" towards cis women is 100% correct but it's easily noticable how their statements contradict themselves and how close-minded and mysoginistic they actually are. Their transphobia goes against the core of radical feminism and they don't seem to realise it because of their very wrong perception of feminism in general.

Intersectional and radical feminism are considered two completly different perspectives that exclude each other by a lot of Russian TERFs which is complete nonsense. They might be distinct movements but they are complementary, they both are radical in their views. Dare I say that the main goal of radical feminism which is eliminating patriarchy cannot be fully done without considering different upbringings and backgrounds of women all around the world that lead to different systematic types of oppression which is essantially what intersectionality implies. Queer people are ridiculed even before coming out or transitioning for having a different way of expressing their gender identity that does not allign with the standarts of a patriarchal, heteronormative and capitalistic society, they are being oppressed by the same institutes that support femicide. You cannot be selective when it comes to liberating women, if you don't fight against transphobia then nobody is going to be free of male supremacy.

I began to doubt TERF's views because as I got older and slowly but surely developed my critical thinking skills, I saw all the major flaws of this movement. It didn't take me too long to completely change my mind and become a trans ally. To this day I still feel so bad for the harm I caused and I really hope that all the young girls that support trans-exclusionary radical feminism or the right-wing ideologies in general reconsider. These movements genuienly hurt not only the people that they feel unjustified hatred towards but also themselves.