Adult human female

The phrase "adult human female" is a slogan adopted by anti-gender and gender-critical (also known as TERF) movements, with the aim of excluding trans women from the definition of "woman". The phrase is a dictionary definition of woman, but its usage in social and political discourse has also been interpreted as a trans-exclusionary and gender essentialist statement which defines "women" as being strictly assigned female at birth and cisgender. Scholars have described it as a dog whistle for transphobic beliefs and a form of coded hate speech. The phrase is often accompanied by other anti-trans rhetoric, sometimes as an answer to the rhetorical question "What is a woman?".