DILF: Did I Leave Feminism?

by Jude Doyle

Overview

In this sharp manifesto, veteran author and activist, Jude Doyle, reunites feminist and trans politics through a common belief: that all people deserve to have the final say about who they are…

When Jude Doyle began his transition in the summer of 2020, he had a very public career as a feminist—winning awards from women’s organizations, writing for women’s magazines, publishing books on “women’s issues.” Then, after a decade in the movement, he had to walk out in front of the public and tell them he had never been a woman at all.

Doyle offers a seldom-heard and much-needed transmasculine perspective on feminist subjects, drawing together strands of intersectional feminist theory and queer and trans politics to show that all their struggles are the same struggle: The fight for gender-marginalized people to maintain autonomy and full selfhood in a patriarchy that is always eager to hollow us out and use us to further its own agenda.

DILF offers a strong rebuke to trans-exclusionary feminisms that seek to drive a wedge between gender-marginalized communities. Using interviews, critical analysis, and Doyle’s own personal experience, DILF proves that feminism is a vital and necessary tool for breaking free of patriarchal control, whoever you are.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781685892166
Publisher:	Melville House Publishing
Publication date:	10/14/2025
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224

About the Author

Jude Ellison S. Doyle is the author of Trainwreck: The Women We Love to Hate, Mock, and Fear . . . and Why and Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers: Monstrosity, Patriarchy, and the Fear of Female Power. He is also the author of the graphic novels Maw SC and The Neighbors. His work has appeared in In These Times, The Guardian, Elle.com, The Atlantic, Slate, Buzzfeed, Rookie, among other publications. He is the founder of the blog Tiger Beatdown. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

With insight and cleverness in equal measure, Jude brings an essential perspective to urgent questions about our politics, our culture, and our relationships with one another.” — Gillian Branstetter, Communications Strategist at the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project and LGBTQ & HIV Project

“I found it a humane, accessible and (from a transmasc feminist perspective) deeply relatable read. I think it's a must-read for any trans person grappling with their relationship to feminism, and an essential building block in our liberated transfeminist future.” — Kit Heyam, author of Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender

“With DILF, Jude Doyle has written an approachable, thorough primer on the tensions many trans mascs face in feminism today. For anyone who has ever wondered if feminism has a place for you, this book will speak to you.” — Devon Price, author of Unmasking Autism and Unlearning Shame: How We Can Reject Self-Blame Culture and Reclaim Our Power

“The recent resurgence of anti-trans feminism has driven unnecessary wedges between cis women and trans people, and between transmasculine and transfeminine people. Jude Doyle draws from past and present trans and feminist perspectives to make a compelling case that all of our fates are intertwined, and that feminism is the movement that can and should unite us. A thoughtful and passionate book that speaks directly to our current moment.” — Julia Serano, author of Whipping Girl

“DILF thoroughly pulled apart several built-in assumptions I knew I had about the world, several I didn't know I had about the world, and still more I didn't even begin to imagine I had about our ever fractious society. Jude Doyle is an incredibly incisive writer who is also quite funny, which is a rare combination." — Emily St. James, author of Woodworking

From the Publisher