The Global War on Gender: How Anti-Gender Sentiments Fuel Right Wing Politics

Author: Ioana Podarita

July 15, 2025

[Image Source: Trump Joins a Global War on ‘Gender Ideology’ - The New York Times]

The Rise of the Right

Right-wing political parties are rapidly gaining popularity across the globe, and their anti-gender campaigns have had unlikely success due to a widespread embrace of tradition and pushback against change. Europe is experiencing a far-right winning streak, with right-wing parties gaining significant followings in France (National Rally), Austria (Freedom Party), Romania (Alliance for the Unity of Romanians), the United Kingdom (Reform UK), and Germany (Alternative for Germany). 

In the United States, President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement achieved what many considered a shocking win through a rigorous anti-immigration and anti-trans campaign. Europe and the United States’ right-wing success stories are largely rooted in extreme manifestations of nativism and the electorate’s distrust in extant administrations; however, the same political trends have been observed in countries like India and the Philippines, as well as several Latin American countries. These countries, unlike the United States and European countries, have not been battling immigration crises and have been experiencing steady income growth, two factors that normally lead to increased populist support.

Anti-Gender Politics

Anti-gender politics are the silent partner of right-wing movements across the globe. Transnationally, the most divisive issues are trans rights, abortion, and traditional gender norms. The RESIST project has documented European anti-gender discourse in parliamentary debates and the media between 2016 and 2022, though the intensity of anti-gender sentiments in Europe has grown even more alarming. The case studies found that hard-right or right-wing actors were responsible for the majority of attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, abortion rights, and feminism within the European Parliament debates. 

Political parties ostracize queer and feminist communities by framing them as dangerous and “undemocratic,” claiming that they are pushing gender ideology onto unwilling citizens. The term “gender ideology” is used by ultra-conservatives internationally to define a radical liberal agenda that supposedly threatens democracy and traditional values through LGBTQ+ rights and feminism. One of the most common tools used by these political actors and the media is to portray LGBTQ+ people as predatory towards children and families. Hungary’s PM Viktor Orban and his far right government introduced, among many anti-LGBTQ+ policies, the Child Protection Law (2022). The law “protects” children from content believed to promote homosexuality and transitioning and it limits sex education in schools. In April of this year, Hungary’s parliament approved changes to the constitution that would allow banning LGBTQ+ events, while stating that citizens could only identify as male or female. Orban presents himself as a protector of Christianity, as he claims that the EU has launched an “LGBTQ offensive.” 

The Trump administration has also classified “gender ideology” as a national enemy, issuing an executive order against it on President Trump’s first day in office. The executive order’s main concern was to define “male” and “female” in bio-essentialist terms and have them recognized as the only two genders. The order’s directives included forcing citizens to legally identify with their sex assigned at birth on federal forms; banning transgender people from federal facilities of their gender identity, such as prisons, migrant housing, and domestic violence shelters; and stopping prison funding for gender-affirming care. Another lengthy executive order was issued only days later, this time aiming to eliminate funding for K-12 schools that promote “gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology.”

In South and Central America, Argentina’s President Javier Milei and his administration also took a firm stand against “gender ideology,” calling it a “cancer” that must be cut out so Western society can recover from “wokeism,” and accused LGBTQ+ people of being pedophiles. Soon after his speech, he banned gender-affirming care for minors, calling it “child abuse.” In El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele and his party Nuevas Ideas (New Ideas), who have received immense support from the Salvadoran electorate, banned “gender ideology” from all public schools last year, stating at a conservative conference in the United States that he finds it “important” it is erased from the curriculum. Bukele is also openly against abortion and same-sex marriage. 

[Image Source: Hungary's Orban condemns EU federalism, LGBTQ 'offensive' | Reuters]

Media Campaigns

Right wing candidates platformed heavily on anti-gender politics during their campaigns, recognizing their effectiveness after the social and economic instability caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The long-term impacts of the pandemic seem to have pushed many people to the right, either due to dissatisfaction or distrust in the governments that handled it. Republicans made use of the American voters’ distrust in the Democratic party, who had been in power since 2021, by launching a costly anti-trans media campaign. The most viral ad video, which used an old statement by Vice President Harris regarding making gender-affirming care accessible for inmates, convinced some voters that the incumbent party was not addressing their concerns, and instead would use their tax dollars to fund a progressive agenda. 

Calin Georgescu, presidential candidate in Romania’s 2024 elections, attempted the same populist and anti-gender media play. Far-right, pro-Russian Georgescu was not a visible candidate until the first round of votes, which he won against the more popular candidates seemingly out of nowhere. Following the shocking and overwhelming support, it was revealed that an anti-Western, anti-gender TikTok campaign was behind his success. His viral fear-mongering videos included criticism of European progressivism, LGBTQ+ rights and feminism, and advocated for a return to Christian values. Georgescu’s win was annulled due to suspicions of Russian interference and illegal media activities, such as generating TikTok bot accounts and paying influencers to support him. 

Conclusion

As political, cultural, and economic instability persists, many global citizens may feel betrayed by their governments and fall prey to populist right-wing messages. Progressive movements such as those that advocate for feminism and LGBTQ+ rights are used by right-wing parties as scapegoats because they support vulnerable communities who threaten the status quo, making them easy targets. Anti-gender campaigns rely heavily on discriminatory political commentary spread through social media platforms. These messages are able to influence political outcomes, as over half of US adults who use social media get their news there. Major social media platforms such as Meta (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) and X (Twitter) are loosening their content moderation policies when it comes to political discourse, in an effort to protect “free expression.” As news content on social media is not always fact-checked and is susceptible to bias, it is imperative to remind audiences of the importance of checking sources and consuming news only from trusted organizations. 

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Glossary

• Advancing - moving forward

• Anti-gender - against gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights

• Bio-essentialism - belief system that suggests certain characteristics, behaviors, or abilities are inherently linked to one's biology or genetics

• Electorate - all the people in a country or area who are entitled to vote in an election

• Extant - still in existence; surviving.

• Far-right - extremely right-wing; often authoritarian, xenophobic, and white supremacist groups

• Feminism - movement that advocates for equal rights and opportunities for all genders, primarily women, and challenges gender-based power imbalances

• Gender Ideology - concept used to describe how people understand and relate to gender roles, identities, and expressions

• Gender-affirming care - social, psychological, behavioral, and medical interventions “designed to support and affirm an individual’s gender identity”

• Incumbent - party currently in office

• Nativism - political policy of promoting or protecting the interests of native-born or indigenous people over those of immigrants, including the support of anti-immigration and immigration-restriction measures

• Ostracize - exclude from a society or group

• Populism - political stances that emphasize the idea of the "common people"

• Queer - a term used to describe people who do not identify as heterosexual or cisgender, encompassing a wide range of sexual orientations and gender identities

• Right-wing - very politically conservative

• Rigorous - extremely thorough

• Status quo - the existing state of affairs, especially regarding social or political issues 

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