Anti-gender Movements Research Articles

Telling Feminist Stories in an Affective Atmosphere of Anti-Genderism: Swedish Gender Scholars Reflect Upon Their Position

ABSTRACT The last decades have witnessed a widespread rise in populist, right-wing, anti-gender movements targeting gender-equality politics and gender studies throughout Europe. While the situation for Swedish gender studies remains relatively stable, with institutionalized gender departments, this paper focuses on how Swedish gender studies scholars conceive of their situation and the status of gender studies in the current era. Through an interview study drawing on the concept of “affective atmosphere”, the article explores how the anti-gender discourse induces a precarious situation that produces a sense of apocalypse and a crisis of hope for gender studies. As such, the anti-gender discourse calls upon scholars to react and engage. In the interviews, the future of gender studies was discussed as being at risk, while at the same time the interviewees described gender studies as an academic success story. However, to avoid falling into the trap of being either too optimistic or too pessimistic about the current state of the art, the authors argue that the knowledge production of gender studies as such can be reconfigured as a site for resistance, for detecting openings and creating possible pathways into the future that extend beyond the hegemonic neoliberal, authoritarian one.

An analytic framework for theorizing the anti-gender agenda in education

This article theorizes the global anti-gender movement in education. This conservative movement opposes “gender ideology,” which is perceived as a threat to traditional social values. Building on a systematic literature review of how the anti-gender movement shapes educational policies, politics, and practices, with a specific focus on Brazil and the US, this article presents a theoretical framework for conceptualizing: 1) the contested meanings of “gender ideology”; 2) its discursive components; 3) the characteristics and composition of anti-gender alliances; 4) the anti-gender agenda’s manifestations in curriculum, pedagogy, the social relations of schooling, and education policy. We attempt to highlight the ways in which anti-gender politics often operate together with racial politics to reveal the ways in which conservative, right-wing alliances, frequently predicated on and united through anti-Blackness, white supremacy, homophobia, transphobia, and misogyny, exert influence on educational policies, politics, and practices to simultaneously maintain a white supremacist, cis-heteronormative, and patriarchal state. We conclude with a discussion of the contradictions of this agenda and resistances to these conservative attacks on equity, inclusion, diversity, and human rights.

#FrauenSagenNein - bridging the divide: analyzing the affective network of gender-critical alliances

ABSTRACT The influence of anti-gender movements is on the rise globally as they seek to prevent the expansion of transgender rights. In Germany, the anti-gender debate has gained renewed intensity in the wake of the publication of the draft Self-Determination Act in June 2022. Within this discourse, two prominent groups of actors emerged: gender-critical feminists and right-wing populists. Despite their divergent ideological and political positions, the affordances of social media provide them with a platform for collaborative interactions. Thus, under issue-related hashtags, the boundaries between these actors are becoming increasingly blurred. This research utilizes affect theory and analysis of hashtag activism to investigate the collective protest on Twitter against the proposed Self-Determination Act. Employing social network analysis (SNA), the study identifies pivotal structures and actors within the #FrauenSagenNein (#WomenSayNo) network. Additionally, qualitative content analysis delves into the narratives and sentiments employed in constructing hostile portrayals of transgender individuals. The findings illustrate that #FrauenSagenNein served as a bridging tool that connects gender-critical feminists and right-wing populist actors, leading to their intersection. Based on these findings, it is vital to critically monitor such alliances to counter the spread of binary gender norms and heteronormative beliefs.

The anti-gender movement and the populist radical right in Italy: a symbiotic relationship

The political landscape of Italy experienced a seismic shift in the September 2022 elections, marking a watershed moment. Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the populist radical right party (PRRP) Brothers of Italy, was elected as Italy’s head of government. This event highlighted a significant development in the country’s gender politics, reflecting the ascent of PRRPs across Europe, marked by their reactionary politics, emphasis on traditional values and staunch opposition to gender equality. This study focuses on the dynamics between PRRPs (Brothers of Italy and the League) and the anti-gender movement in Italy. Through a qualitative content analysis of the primary sources of political parties and movements, the research explores their symbiotic relationship, the linkage and adjustment mechanisms employed by both actors, and the political outcomes of their interactions, offering insights into the mobilization of anti-gender actors and their alliance with PRRPs. It contributes to understanding how the organized opposition to gender equality is mainstreamed within political spheres, especially in contexts where right-wing populists hold power.

Technocultural worldings: dialectical dynamics in contemporary media landscapes

ABSTRACT In this piece, which frames the special issue “Technocultural worldings,” we build on previous editions of commentary and criticism in this journal. We propose a theoretically anchored way to systematically approach the dynamic, multidimensional, and heterogeneous technocultural communities that have created their own worldings and are engaged in complex dialectical dynamics within the contemporary media landscape. The technocultural communities that are part of these dialectical dynamics are constituted, on the one hand, by the complex collective sense-making of the emancipatory political programs of feminist and LGBTI+ initiatives and, on the other, by the retrogressive mobilizations of far-right and anti-gender movements. Hence, we argue that these worldings come into being due to the ability conferred by digital spaces to incorporate both material and virtual components in performances of gender and sexuality, in all their complex diversity. These issues are explored in more detail in eight articles, grouped into two discretely separate sections, one exploring emancipatory technocultural worldings, while the other describes retrogressive technocultural worldings.

‘The West Is Trying Too Hard’: Gender and the Right-Wing Critique of Globalization

This paper examines how the term ‘gender’ has been re-signified by the right-wing actors in contemporary struggles around globalization. First, we offer a chronology of debates concerning global diffusion of gender norms, tracing the consolidation of various groups into the anti-gender movement. The next section discusses how gender and globalization intersect in discursive strategies of anti-gender actors. We show that they target international institutions and norms portraying them as a western cosmopolitan force, claiming to speak on behalf of local populations and obfuscating their transnational embeddedness. The aim is to moralize and blur the boundaries between the local and the global—a strategy we call chameleon tactics. The final part examines how chameleon tactics unfolded in the specific context of the 2019 ICPD25 Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, and how an anti-globalist frame was used to blur the global identity of anti-gender organizations present there.

Confronting complex alliances: Situating Britain’s gender critical politics within the wider transnational anti-gender movement

Britain has recently gained notoriety as a global hotspot for anti-trans politics and ‘gender critical’ feminism. But what is the relationship between British ‘gender critical’ politics and the transnational ‘anti-gender’ movement? Does Britain’s gender critical feminism directly align with the global trends of anti-gender mobilisations, including the latter’s authoritarian and neofascist tendencies? This commentary argues for a context-specific analysis of the British gender-critical movement which is attentive to its divergent political orientations. While some strands of gender-critical politics are openly allied with far-right politics and are explicitly anti-feminist, others include prominent figures from left-wing positions, including left feminists and lesbians. Challenging gender-critical politics in Britain requires a reckoning with its cross-political nature and an analysis of the factors that unite these different strands across left and right.

Contestation of Women’s Reproductive Rights by Anti-Gender Movement in Croatia

Unatoč političkim i aktivističkim rezultatima feminističkog pokreta koji su doveli do priznavanja seksualnih i reproduktivnih prava kao ljudskih prava u drugom dijelu 20. stoljeća, danas diljem svijeta svjedočimo derogiranju već stečenih prava žena, kao i uskraćivanju i otežavanju (reproduktivnog) samoodređenja žena i parova. Ovaj radistražuje na koji se način taktika pravne mobilizacije i unutarinstitucionalno djelovanje, kojim se antirodni pokret u Hrvatskoj služi za promicanje uskraćivanja reproduktivnih prava žena, koriste za osporavanje i ograničavanje prava žena. Naime, znanstvena je literatura utvrdila transnacionalni karakter antirodnog pokreta i identificirala podudarne taktike u mnogobrojnim državama, a jedna od taktika je pravna mobilizacija. Korištenjem kritičke analize diskursa prikazano je na koji način hrvatski antirodni pokret koristi pravnu mobilizaciju tako što unutarinstitucionalno djeluje pokretanjem postupaka za ocjenu suglasnosti propisa s Ustavom, a istovremeno i izvaninstitucionalno poduzima niz aktivnosti, poput okupljanja i prosvjeda, kojima nastoji ograničiti seksualna i reproduktivna prava žena. Rezultati pokazuju da hrvatski antirodni pokret u korpusu analiziranih tekstova djeluje u kontekstu triju temeljnih diskurzivnih okvira: zaštite svjetonazora većine postignutog oblikovanjem scenarija prijetnje, diskreditiranja pravana prekid trudnoće tako što se to pravo prikazuje kao nasljeđe prethodnoga socijalističkog političkog sustava bivše Jugoslavije i prijetnje “rodnom ideologijom”.

Co-creating Inclusive Intersectional Democratic Spaces across Europe (CCINDLE): Counteracting Anti-gender through Feminist Knowledge

Abstract: The construction of feminist democratic societal projects relies on the production of feminist knowledge and ideas within social movements, as well as academic, professional, and institutional settings. In the context of a rising opposition against democracy and gender, race, and sexuality equality at a global level, the European Union has launched the call Feminisms for a New Age of Democracy with the purpose of supporting knowledge production about opposition to gender equality in Europe and feminist democratic responses. The CCINDLE (Co-creating Inclusive Intersectional Democratic Spaces across Europe) project is one of the funded research projects under this call. CCINDLE's objectives include analyzing not only anti-gender politics and the problems that they create for democracy in Europe but especially feminist movements' and institutional responses to anti-gender and anti-democratic forces. The project aims to co-create feminist knowledge with the actors that are already working to counter the antidemocratic project that anti-gender movements and far right parties are trying to construct, and to envision feminist futures building on theories and practices of intersectional justice, inclusion, and participation in European democracies.

How did an anti-gender movement develop in Brazil?

How did an anti-gender movement develop in Brazil?

Introduction: Quo Vadis Turkey? Encounters with sustainable patriarchy and resistance of women

ABSTRACT This article introduces a Special Section on sustainable patriarchy in Turkey. It places developments in Turkey within a wider context of global anti-gender movements, in which gender functions as a glue to bond various conservative actors together. It defines what sustainable patriarchy is and suggests why Turkey is a suitable case to examine its various manifestations.

State-Led Antigender Politics, Islamism, and the University

Abstract Gender studies and its professors are attacked and oppressed by patriarchal, masculinist, antifeminist, and anti-LGBTI discourses and institutional practices. This trend is not limited to white- and/or Christian-majority countries, as the literature has documented thus far. Antigender campaigns can easily infiltrate Middle Eastern and/or Muslim-majority contexts in which feminists and queers have long struggled to transform societies, cultures, and states. In Turkey a state-led antigender movement has been unfolding, with burdensome outcomes for women and sexual minorities as well as activists and faculty members. The most recent step taken in the state-led antigender turn was Turkey’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention Action by a precipitous presidential decree. Drawing on thirty-three interviews with gender studies scholars, this article documents their ambivalent and perturbing connection with the state. The recent antigender atmosphere may make them feel downtrodden, silenced, and vulnerable in personal and professional domains, while it rejuvenates their resilience, renders their ongoing feminist/queer struggles meaningful and passionate, and cultivates an air of hope and optimism. To fight ostracism by public institutions and to attain their academic rights, the respondents use their empowering feelings, hope, and commitment against patriarchal and homophobic state forces.

'I'm Real, Not You': Roles and Discourses of Trans Exclusionary Women's and Feminist Movements in Anti-gender and Right-wing Populist Politics

This article offers a comparative inquiry concerning the rise in visibility, relevance, and power of trans exclusionary women’s and feminist movements in Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) between 2015 and 2022.  It focuses on two case studies concerning trans rights: the successful campaign for Bill C-16 in Canada, and failed reform of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 in the UK. In both cases, key streams within trans exclusionary women’s and feminist movements increasingly engage in collaborative action with right-wing populist-centered anti-gender coalitions, which include right-wing religious, conservative, and right-wing extremist actors, from approximately 2016. It argues that a key role of women’s and feminist actors in these coalitions is to help legitimize, amplify, and give meaning to anti-gender and right-wing populist appeals and, therein, the politics of exclusion they promote. This occurs in part, it is argued, through symbolic appeals concerning authenticity and the non-materiality of trans lives; the promotion of narratives concerning conflicts in rights; and the provision of strong imagery, narrative, and emotional appeals concerning threat. These broad developments have had various important effects. In the UK, the combination of so-called ‘radical’ as well as ‘traditional’ actors within anti-gender coalitions, has been critical in challenging progress towards trans and broader (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Intersex, and Queer) LGBTIQ+ rights. In Canada, although anti-gender movements have enjoyed less policy success during this period, women’s and feminist actors have helped popularize and provide legitimacy to wider coalitions. 

The Anti-gender and Gender-critical Roots of the Italian Anti-trans Parent Activism

Between 2020 and 2021, the fight against the hate crimes bill proposal on discrimination and violence based on sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability marked a pivotal moment in the ongoing mobilization against LGBTQ+ rights in Italy. Proposed by the main center-left party, the Bill proposal encountered a strong opposition both by right-wing and by MPs of the progressive area itself. In particular, the category of gender identity was targeted as a danger, a confused notion, a trojan horse of the “gender ideology”, etc. The Bill first adopted by the Lower House was later blocked at the Senate, thanks to the decisive action of Senator Simone Pillon, a founder and member of the Italian anti-gender movement, elected in 2018 with the radical right party of the League, led by Matteo Salvini. Anti-gender groups such as ProVita & Famiglia and Family Day, who had been campaigning against "gender theory" and "LGBT ideology" for over a decade, led this battle from outside the Parliament, online and in the streets, but also inside the Senate, during the parliamentary auditions to which they were massively invited to participate.

Caring for the Child, Caring for the Family: The Clash over the National Strategy for the Child (2019–2030) in Bulgaria

The article explores the different meanings behind the narratives of “family,” “childcare,” and “child protection” in public discourses against the National Strategy for the Child (NSC) 2019–2030 in Bulgaria. These meanings are seen as reflecting the intertwining and cumulative effects of transnational and local influences in the anti-gender movement. Using frame analysis as an approach in social movement studies, the aim is to analyse the main ideas of NSC opponents—conservative far-right non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and citizens who joined the discussion during the public debate on the Strategy in January 2019. We differentiate between the discourses of the NGOs and the critical citizens, paying attention to the way they use the narrative of return—return to traditional family forms and child-rearing models. The conservative NGOs declared themselves to be defenders of Bulgarian children and families against the liberal policies of the European Union (EU) and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) lobbies. The citizens’ discourse is directed against the child-centred philosophy of the Strategy, seen as a threat to both the children themselves and parents’ rights, but it rarely mentions LGBT and gendering as a danger. The discussion revealed the deep distrust of citizens and parents towards the state and its institutions, which was amplified and instrumentalized by the far-right NGOs who mobilized and organized a mass social movement against the Strategy.

Transgender activism in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

ABSTRACT Although the lives of LGBT people in Central Asia have recently received scholarly attention, authors do not pay due attention to transgender (trans) issues. This paper explores living conditions of trans people in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as trans organizing in these countries. Semi-structured interviews with 11 trans activists were conducted in March–April 2022. According to the respondents, trans people in Central Asia face pervasive discrimination, harassment and rejection on behalf of society at large and their families. Many live in a desperate economic situation. Access to legal gender recognition aimed to align the person’s legal gender with their gender identity is limited; the process requires psychiatric evaluation, medical interventions and/or going to courts. A limited number of doctors can provide transition-related medical care (hormone replacement therapy, surgeries). Trans activists self-organize to address these issues and promote trans rights in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Their areas of work include providing direct support, educating doctors, and conducting advocacy with state institutions and international actors. The political environment is hostile towards trans activism. Organizations face problems receiving official registration; in Tajikistan, state pressure on civil society is especially severe. Anti-gender movements are another obstacle for trans activists. Political instability often disrupts activists’ advocacy efforts.

“Perpetual Alimony Victims Platform” as an Example of Anti-Gender Movements

Son dönemlerde, toplumsal cinsiyet karşıtı hareketlerin yükselişe geçtiğine ve toplumun belli kesimlerinin toplumsal cinsiyet eşitliğinde temellenen yasalara karşı seslerini yükselttiğine şahit olunmaktadır. Bu çerçevede, boşanmayla birlikte yoksulluğa düşen tarafa, kadın-erkek ayrımı gözetmeksizin verilebilen yoksulluk nafakasının, sadece kadınlara verildiği yönünde kamuoyunda yanlış bir algı yaratılmaya çalışıldığı ve bu algı üzerinden bir “mağduriyet” söylemi üretildiği görülmektedir. Fakat dile getirilen söylemlere bakıldığında, temel sorunun mağduriyetten öte toplumsal cinsiyet karşıtlığı olduğu anlaşılmaktadır. Buradan hareketle bu çalışma, nafaka mağduru olduğunu iddia ederek sosyal medyada örgütlenen yoksulluk nafakası karşıtlarının söylemlerinin toplumsal cinsiyet karşıtlığında nasıl temellendiğini açığa çıkarmayı amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmanın örneklemini sosyal medya platformlarından biri olan Twitter’da örgütlenen “Süresiz Nafaka Mağdurları Platformu” oluşturmaktadır. Hesabın Mayıs 2022 – Ocak 2023 dönemine ait paylaşımları veri olarak toplanmış; toplanan bu veriler söylem analizi yöntemiyle incelenmiştir. Söylem analizi, ideolojilerin yeniden üretiminde önemli rol oynadığı için uygun veri analiz yöntemi olarak düşünülmüştür. Çalışma sonucunda, grup üyelerinin yoksulluk nafakasından daha çok sayıda nafaka ile ilgisi olmayan; fakat toplumsal cinsiyet eşitliğinde temellenen konulara karşı söylemler ürettiği tespit edilmiştir.

10.O. Round table: Anti-gender movements and their implications for trans-specific healthcare for children in Europe

Abstract Anti-gender movements, which have gained significant momentum in recent years, challenge the validity and existence of gender as a concept, and in turn, gender identity. Anti-gender campaigners are varied, ranging from conservative political actors, religious leaders and institutions, to “gender critical” feminists but they are united in one respect - they have been working consistently to influence public opinion and advocate for legislative and political action against the fundamental human rights of trans and gender diverse people, with clear public health implications. These actors target, among other things, self-determination of gender identity and the provision of care services for trans children and adults. Trans and gender diverse children are especially vulnerable, as their physical and mental healthcare needs are at risk due to the relentless attacks and misinformation campaigns across Europe against the provision of trans-specific healthcare, including puberty blockers. Yet, existing research demonstrates that access to puberty blockers leads to marked improvements in mental health for trans and gender diverse children. Countering anti-trans narratives and protecting trans and gender diverse childrens’ health and human rights requires concerted action on the part of the trans and gender diverse community, with the active participation and support of the public health community. Our aim for this roundtable is to bring together members from the trans and gender diverse community and the public health community to discuss what is required to counter anti-trans narratives in the provision of trans-specific healthcare. Representatives from 1) Transgender Europe, 2) the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, 3) the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Youth & Student Organisation, and 4) the European Professional Association for Transgender Health will be panelists in this round table. We will discuss cases from several European countries, the best interest of the child, informed consent, and what is urgently needed at the regional level to ensure trans and gender diverse children are able to access the healthcare they need. We will also dedicate time for questions from the audience to enable sharing of concerns and diverse personal and regional experiences. Key messages • Anti-gender movements, which have gained significant momentum in recent years, challenge the validity and existence of gender (identity), hindering access to gender-affirming care. • Strong support from the public health community is required to counter anti-trans narratives and protect trans and gender diverse childrens’ health and human rights. Speakers/Panelists Deekshitha Ganesan Transgender Europe, Brussels, Belgium Seb Rowlands Transgender Europe, Brussels, Belgium Cianán Russell ILGA-Europe, Brussels, Belgium Motmans Joz UZ Gent, Gent, Belgium Rú Ávila Rodríguez IGLYO, Brussels, Belgium

Do Czech Women Need ‘Gender’?: A Conceptual History of ‘Gender’ in Czechia

In recent years, there has been a growing anti-feminist, conservative movement across many parts of the world known as the anti-gender movement. This movement has been especially strong in Central Eastern Europe, where anti-gender actors have framed ‘gender’ as a static, foreign concept imported from ‘the West’ and destructive to ‘traditional’ societies. Utilising a postcolonial feminist approach, I examine the concept of ‘gender’ in Czechia, drawing attention to the role played by Czech academics, activists and policymakers in negotiating the use of the term ‘gender’. This article traces the history of the term from the 1990s when ‘gender’ was first introduced to a Czech academic audience, through public seminars and lectures hosted by the Prague Gender Studies Centre, to the present-day inclusion of gender mainstreaming discourse in Czech policy documents. I reveal that ‘gender’ is not a timeless, clearly defined, fixed term wholly imported from ‘the West’ but rather a concept with a variable and complicated history. Thus, this crucial term, first developed in Anglo-academia, is not uncontested or uncritically accepted, contrary to the claims made by anti-gender actors. The findings presented in this article hold implications critical to transnational feminist dialogue and activism during the current period of growing global anti-feminist sentiment.

Raping turtles and kidnapping children: Fantasmatic logics of Scandinavia in Russian and German anti-gender discourse

ABSTRACT This study examines the social, political, and fantasmatic logics involved in the production of contemporary discourses about Scandinavia as a symbolic site and imagined place of sexual and moral decay and as a gender dysphoric dystopia by actors in the global anti-gender movement. Empirically, we draw on a rich digital archive of multi-modal media texts from an ongoing research project on anti-gender movements in Russia and Germany – two countries which provide particularly poignant examples of sites in which this mode of anti-gender propaganda is currently on the rise. In the analysis, we explore the discursive workings of a particularly prominent node in the material – that of the vulnerable child – and show how this figure is construed and instrumentalised to add urgency and fuel outrage among domestic audiences in Russia and Germany.