What is Merry Terfmas and why is it trending? Controversial holiday meme and its online origins

In the age of social media holiday memes and festive slang, one phrase that has unexpectedly resurfaced this season is “Merry Terfmas.” At first glance it might look like a playful twist on “Merry Christmas” but the meaning and the reactions behind it reveal something much more controversial and culturally charged happening online.Merry Terfmas is a wordplay on the traditional holiday greeting “Merry Christmas,” repurposed by a group of online activists and commentators to mark a politically-loaded day known in some circles as Gender Critical Coming Out Day. The phrase merges the holiday cheer with TERF, an acronym for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist”. This term refers to people, mostly critics of modern gender-identity policies, who assert that trans women are not women and oppose legal changes that would expand gender recognition. The phrase was first popularised in the early 2020s by a small group of anti-trans activists (including figures like Graham Linehan) who saw 19 December as a symbolic date for expressing gender-critical viewpoints in public. Many supporters use hashtags like #SexNotGender or #IStandWithMaya alongside Merry Terfmas to signal their views during the holidays. The phrase exploded into broader public consciousness when Harry Potter author JK Rowling, a highly influential writer with millions of followers, tweeted “Merry Terfmas” in December 2022, in response to a fan celebrating her opening of a women’s centre that explicitly excluded trans women. Since Rowling has repeatedly expressed gender-critical opinions and been a lightning rod in ongoing debates about transgender rights, her use of this phrase brought Merry Terfmas into the mainstream social media discourse, prompting widespread backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates and allies who view it as transphobic and exclusionary. On platforms like X and Reddit, Merry Terfmas has become a polarising meme this holiday season. Some users share it ironically or critically, mocking it as part of online conservative and anti-trans rhetoric. Other users reclaim the holiday language for inclusive holiday messages such as “Merry Transmas! Hope your holidays are TERF-free,” reflecting a direct counter-narrative to exclusionary uses of the phrase. Broader online debates around this phrase often tie into discussions about who gets to define gender, who is included in feminist movements, and how cultural celebrations intersect with social justice issues.At its core, the phrase is not about Christmas cheer, it is a political slogan spun from an internet culture clash around gender identity and feminism. It encapsulates a controversial stance on gender and transgender rights, often tied to opposition to trans inclusivity and a festive framing that turns a traditional greeting into a symbolic marker for online activism.Since the term lives and circulates largely on social platforms rather than in formal public discourse, its meaning and tone can vary widely depending on context. For some it’s a pointed expression of gender-critical politics; for others it’s become shorthand to criticise or parody those positions.In today’s digital age, even a seemingly playful phrase can carry heavy social meaning and Merry Terfmas is one such term that reflects deep cultural divides playing out online this holiday season. Merry Terfmas is not a universally celebrated holiday.It is a social media phenomenon born from cultural and political debates about gender, identity and inclusion. What started as wordplay tied to a specific online activism day has grown into a broader internet talking point, especially when linked with high-profile figures and contentious discussions about transgender rights.