'TRANS POWER' — Women's rape shelter faces death threat and vandalism for rejecting transgender women

Canada's oldest rape crisis shelter is facing death threats and vandalism over their policy of not including transgender women.

A follow up to the dead rat that was nailed to our door recently... this morning we found this writing scrawled across the windows of our storefront space that we use for support and training groups #Misogyny pic.twitter.com/vm6Gv8jWcj

— VancouverRapeRelief (@VanRapeRelief) August 27, 2019

The Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter (VRRWS) posted photos of the vandalism on their social media account.

"A follow up to the dead rat that was nailed to our door recently... this morning we found this writing scrawled across the windows of our storefront space that we use for support and training groups," the account tweeted, adding "misogyny" in a hashtag.

The photos show writing with the death threat, "KILL TERFS," and "TRANS POWER." The word "TERF" is an acronym used by transgender activists and allies as a pejorative for "transgender exclusionary radical feminist." It is used against feminists who do not follow the demands of the transgender lobby, especially those which put women at risk or under threat.

A spokeswoman for the center spoke to Madeleine Kearns of National Review and drew a distinction between the threats made against the clinic, and the very real abuse that had been suffered by the women they serve.

"We deal with real violence and physical violence, so I don't want to blur the real threat on women's lives and real dangers to women's safety [with] abusive and intimidating language," said Hilla Kerner.

"This is not the same level of threatened violence," she concluded.

The center offers its services to women who were born female in accordance with the feminism that guides their mission. In March, the Vancouver City Council pulled funding from the group because of pressure from transgender activists.

The shelter decried the decision, saying in a statement that the council was committing to "discrimination against women in the name of inclusion."

"Vancouver City Council's decision is intended to coerce us to change our position and practice of offering some of our core services only to women who are born female," they added.

Here's a local news report about the feud: