British singer-songwriter Kate Nash has unveiled a powerful new single titled “Germ,” which critiques trans-exclusionary ideologies within feminism.
Nash coined a new acronym, Germ: “girl, exclusionary, regressive, misogynist”. In the lyrics, she states: “You’re not radical … You’re not rad at all,” and that “using feminism to erase the rights of others and endanger them is inherently un-feminist”. It arose from Nash seeing “trans-exclusionary radical feminist” – the contentious term “terf” – as something of a misnomer.
The song responds to last month’s U.K. Supreme Court ruling that defined “woman” based on biological sex, a decision Nash and medical professionals have criticized as detrimental to transgender individuals.
Within hours of the song going live, Nash was trending on X. On the one hand, Nash was praised by LGBTQ+ advocates and allies for showing support for trans people at a time when their rights are being eroded. “A lot of the queer community have been really grateful,” says Nash. “I’ve received some beautiful messages about what it means, when there’s so much uncertainty and fear and a loss of confidence for a lot of trans people. That’s been really moving.”