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Why 'Bonus Hole' Is Going Viral On Twitter And What The Term Means
TERFs have latched on to the term and are using it as an excuse to spew more transphobia.
After spending a little time on social media today you may be wondering, what is a “bonus hole” and why is the term and why is all over your Twitter feed?
In 2020, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust in partnership with the LGBT foundation, an LGBTQ+ charitable organization, began suggesting the term “bonus hole” be used as a way to support trans men and nonbinary people.
According to their glossary, a “bonus hole” is “an alternative word for the vagina” and recommend checking to see “which words someone would prefer to use.” They also suggest using “front hole” as an alternative term with the same meaning.
On their website, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust says using the “correct language” when you’re talking about someone's gender identity is a “simple and effective way to demonstrate support and recognition.” It goes on to say that patients may seek care elsewhere if they feel “hurt or distressed” when a term is used that doesn’t align with their gender identity.
But “bonus hole” went viral today after conservatives like Leo Kearse and Oil London tweeted about it. Kearse is a right-wing UK-based comedian and London is a British media personality who is most well known for writing a book about his experience detransitioning and the issue of a supposed “trans ideology.” Basically, he’s a TERF.
“The LGBT Foundation recommends using the term "bonus hole" instead of "vagina" to avoid offending trans people (this isn't satire btw),” Kearse wrote on Twitter. “Everyone sure is worried about offending trans people but don't give a bonus hole about offending women, do they?”
The LGBT Foundation recommend using the term "bonus hole" instead of "vagina" to avoid offending trans people (this isn't satire btw).
— Leo Kearse - see me on YouTube & Headliners (@LeoKearse) June 29, 2023
Everyone sure is worried about offending trans people but don't give a bonus hole about offending women, do they? pic.twitter.com/ywIOeF7Yvo
The comment sections under these tweets are full of offensive and unfunny jokes and people claiming that women are somehow being hurt by providing an alternative to the word vagina. Basically the standard transphobic conservative rhetoric.
“But yeah, we gotta make sure we’re not offending ~1% of the population at the expense of ~50% of the population,” one person commented.
Some also tweeted about their “discovery” of term, writing, “Just when you thought things couldn't get more ridiculous …. They come up with this sh*t….I’m just a birthing person with a bonus hole according to the insane people on the left.”
Luckily there were some people on social media who had a more nuanced take on what the organizations were actually trying to accomplish when adding the term to their glossary. "The actual context is trying to find inclusive language to discuss the anatomy of trans men but why bother actually reading when you can just get angry and make other people angry for that sweet sweet clout,” one person tweeted.
The actual context is trying to find inclusive language to discuss the anatomy of trans men but why bother actually reading when you can just get angry and make other people angry for that sweet sweet clout.
— Jeff (@jrpurdon) June 29, 2023
it literally says in the definition used "an alternative word for vagina".. not recommended, not mandatory... it even says you should ask what the person's preference is.
— mark northcott (@markgnorthcott) June 29, 2023
To be clear — since apparently, this has to be spelled out — no one, literally no one — is saying that the world "bonus hole" is mandatory for anyone to use, be they cis, trans, or nonbinary. It's simply a suggestion presented for transmen and nonbinary people (and presumably anyone who prefers it ) can use.
Folks, this is not hard to grasp.
Offering alternative terms to people who are seeking medical treatment is an easy way to be respectful of the gender dysphoria some trans men and nonbinary folks may be experiencing. Whether or not you use “bonus hole” — or not — should be a personal choice.
Sadly, some online just can’t (or won't) understand nuance. And for the TERFs who see this as some sort of vernacular takeover — in the words of Taylor Swift, "you need to calm down."
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
