Anti-gender movements

The anti-gender movement emerged as the expression of a network of individuals, groups, and organizations concerned with the political and ideological threat centered around the notions of gender ideology, gender theory, or genderism. These terms function as signifiers or rhetorical devices, portraying gender as a homogeneous set of principles, concepts, laws, and policies of a new ideological dictatorship, a cultural and anthropological revolution whose political program reflects an attempt to extend the domain of democracy to the sexual realm. Those in the anti-gender movement perceive gender ideology as a threatening type of social engineering, promoting the transgression of traditional gender models through the denial of biological explanations about gender roles and relations as well as the promotion of sexual and reproductive rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, reproductive technologies, sex and gender education, and gender mainstreaming. Throughout this entry the historical background and development of the anti-gender movement are discussed. Additionally, this entry provides a concise exploration of the actors, narratives, strategies, and wider effects associated with the anti-gender movement.