The Handmaid's Tale had to tell her Twitter followers that the author of the article wasn't a "TERF"—a term meaning "Trans-exclusionary Radical Feminist," which was used by Dave Chappelle in his recent Netflix special.Social media users linked Atwood to Harry Potter author J.K.
Rowling, whom many believe is also "team TERF."Atwood's initial tweet caused much speculation and she's since doubled down on it, reassuring those who are upset that it's not what they think it is.The debate started when Atwood shared an article by Rosie DiManno published in the Toronto Star, titled "Why Can't We Say 'Women' Anymore?"The column alleges that gender-neutral language is leading to "an erasure of women" and causes well-meaning people to become.