Far-right uses and abuses of gender and sexuality

During the last decade of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century, we saw gender and sexuality policies begin to be addressed in a transnational context, among democracies in Europe, North America, and Latin America. We observed this not only in the greater space given to them in the media and in the emergence of new social groups that focused their demands on these issues but also in adopting and implementing laws and public policies related to these issues. The circulation of these issues in the public sphere gave visibility to discussions about the material and symbolic inequalities that affect gender differences, which had previously been silenced or relegated to very restricted areas. In the first phase, these allegations of inequality were generally associated with health issues, cases of abuse, or physical violence. However, today, there are also aspects of gender and sexuality that are linked to identity, pleasure, and autonomy. The increased prominence of these issues on the social and political agendas has gained momentum with the (re)emergence of anti-gender movements that, in principle, question the advancement of rights of citizens belonging to groups that, until then, had little political representation and, consequently, less defense of the recognition of their rights. The nature of this opposition varies according to the country or region in which it manifests itself or according to the issue in question. Still, the main argument that movements of this type articulate is the refusal to allow the State to intervene in people's private lives. Thus, the objective of this panel is to welcome works that share how these movements manifest themselves in different contexts, whether regional or national, as well as works that present experiences of actions that oppose anti-gender movements.