RE: Anyone else keep seeing "AFAB" used more often on Reddit or other communities?

( OwnLyingEyes )
For what little it's worth, "AFAB" pisses them off too. They've been having little tantrums about women using it to mean women for years now, because it still acknowledges the existence of a category that women are in and they are not.

( Julie92845 )
Yep, I've noticed this too.

They're also taking offense to transwomen vs trans women. I've always just used trans women but now that they're trying to police my language even more I might switch over as a fuck you.

( an_actual_chicken )
The funny thing for me is that saying "AFAB" is basically the same as "assigning someone female" on the spot in conversation. Literally no difference from "natal female" or even "biological female" except the degree of indirectness about what they're actually describing.

( itazurakko )
Yes. As the term is actually used in 2023, it just means "women." Real ones. Female humans. What we have called "women" all along.

Notice how they not only had a NEED for such a term, but also don't quibble about who is in it? Yeah. That's useful for me.

( BehindtheCurtain )
Using the word "woman" properly is practically against the rules of reddit.
Afab is the shortest work around, compared to "female people". TiMs still very annoyed when afabs are being centered, but it does cut down on "well as a [trans] woman I think it's very empowering to be bimbofied" or whatever else they object over with porn brains.

( itazurakko )
The one place on reddit you ARE allowed to say "women only" or "cis women only" and MEAN it is... the porn subs. Which should tell you ALL you need to know. :/

( starsstorm )
Women outside of us are using it as a work around for the dehumanizing terms that refer to women as body parts. Even some of my tra friends have adopted using afab because they don’t want to get fire or harassed for talking about women’s issues as women, but they don’t want to include trans women in there either. It’s an unfortunate neat work around and it infuriates trans people, especially tims. I’m sure it’ll become even more popular among women.