News (USA)

TERFs are trying to boycott Etsy for banning transphobic products  

Meanwhile, trans artists and creators are reclaiming #BoycottEtsy to promote their own products and stores.
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A raised fist of a protesters painted with the Transgender flag
Photo: Shutterstock

The hashtag #BoycottEtsy trended on Twitter once again last week thanks to Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERFs) who are mad that the e-commerce site won’t allow them to sell anti-trans merchandise.

As The Mary Sue pointed out, this isn’t the first attempt to boycott the platform. Last year, thousands of sellers deactivated their stores and asked users to boycott Etsy to protest a hike in transaction fees and other ways in which the platform cuts into seller profits. The site has also been accused of withholding payments from sellers.

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This new campaign to boycott Etsy, however, has nothing to do with any of that. A quick perusal of the hashtag on Twitter shows TERFs — known for cloaking their transphobia in the guise of pseudo-feminism — whining about Etsy banning blatantly transphobic products while continuing to allow anti-TERF merch to be sold on the site.

The push to boycott the site seems to have originated with Laura Becker, a Wisconsin-based de-transition advocate who tweets as @FunkGodArtist. On July 26, Becker posted screenshots of a message she allegedly received from Etsy informing her that two products featuring anti-trans messaging had been removed from her shop.

“As a reminder, Etsy prohibits any content that promotes, supports, or glorifies hatred of violence towards protected groups. This includes items or listings that are demeaning or disparaging,” the message reads.

“Etsy has f**ked with me for the last time. After banning my ‘Funky Human Female’ shirts last month, I’ve now received notice that my ‘De-Trans Awareness’ and ‘Believe De-Transitioners—First Do No Harm’ shirts are removed,” Becker tweeted. “This is my Final Warning before my store will be permanently banned. It is time to boycott Etsy. They do not support free speech, women, or medical trauma survivors.”

Many of the Twitter users who reposted or responded to Becker’s call to boycott Etsy included screenshots of items for sale on the site which they characterized as advocating violence against TERFs.

At the same time, however, trans artists and creators have been using the hashtag to draw attention to their own Etsy stores and products.

Etsy, of course, is just the latest corporation to become the focus of the anti-LGBTQ+ right’s hot boycott summer. Since this past spring, conservatives have called for boycotts of Bud Light, Target, Lego, North Face, and other brands over Pride products and LGBTQ+-inclusive marketing campaigns.

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