Countering the gender backlash: Building coalitions against the populist playbook

Today, far right parties in different countries are emulating each other and using similar tactics that instrumentalize othering. Yet their approaches to issues of gender are heterogenous. Some far right movements embrace gender equality and certain aspects of LGBTQ+ rights, as they serve the nativist project against an “Other” that is said to present a threat against hard won women’s and LGBTQ rights. Other far-right movements seek to return to traditional gender roles, target the LGBTQ+ community, and aim to disband protections against gender-based violence while rolling back abortion rights.

But similarities between far right movements also abound. Across the board, trans communities are vilified, having become the cornerstone of the so-called culture wars, and primarily, radical right movements focus on binary and traditional understandings of the role of men and women.

In this panel we will examine the Far Right’s gender politics across Europe and the US, as well as existing and potential efforts to counter the gender backlash, exploring questions such as: What language are far-right actors deploying around gender and sexual orientation? How are they adapting and developing their policies? When do they succeed and how do they fail? And what role can coalition-building play in avoiding backlash and advancing rights?