Adult human female

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 originated as a dictionary definition of woman, but its usage in social and political discourse has been widely 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]

Since his re-election in 2024, Donald Trump and his supporters have adopted the term as part of an agenda to end legal recognition and protection of trans identity, presented as "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government".^[2]

The phrase gained prominence in 2018 when Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker, a British anti-trans activist, used it in public campaigns, including billboard advertisements in the United Kingdom. These billboards, displaying the phrase without additional context, sparked widespread controversy and were perceived by LGBTQ+ advocacy groups as an attempt to invalidate transgender identities and undermine transgender rights.^[3][4][5][6] After the original "Adult human female" billboard was removed in Liverpool, the city council unanimously approved a motion that said "trans women are women” and that “there is no place in our city for hatred and bigotry".^[5]

The phrase is described by scholars as a dog whistle for transphobic beliefs, and part of organised transphobic discourse.^[7] Sara Brightman, Emily Lenning, and Christina DeJong found it to be one of the common rhetorical strategies in anti-trans discourse, alongside terms like "gender ideology" and "groomer".^[8] It is often deployed to challenge the legal and social recognition of transgender women and oppose policies related to gender inclusivity, such as access to gender-affirming healthcare, participation in sports, and legal recognition of gender identity. The National Women's Law Center noted that "TERFs often self-identify as 'gender critical' or as an 'adult human female.' They believe in 'sex-based rights', 'LGB rights', and 'protecting women and girls'; they call trans people 'trans rights activists', 'the trans lobby', 'the trans debate', and call trans women 'TIMs' (Trans Identified Males)".^[9]

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] popularized by the film What Is a Woman? by Matt Walsh.

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 and accusations of being hate speech.^[10][11][12]

The phrase has been adopted by Donald Trump and his supporters. On 20 January 2025, his first day as president, Trump signed an executive order titled "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government"^[13] aimed at rolling back protections for transgender people,^[14][15] that asserted that "woman means adult human female".^[13] The Trump transition team had presented the planned executive order as part of a wider “restoring sanity” agenda.^[2] In the years prior to 2025 the Trump-led Republican Party had focused heavily on targeting transgender people, especially by attacking trans athletes and pronouns.^[16]

• 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"
• Alternative facts
• Kamala is for they/them
• Executive Order 14168