Hands towards the right: UK gender–critical feminism and right-wing coalitions

Abstract

This paper examines the link between UK gender–critical feminism and the right-wing political ideas and organizations that constitute as ‘anti-gender’. The paper first reflects on the origins of anti-trans feminism, paying particular attention to the decades between the 1970s and 1990s in the UK. Next, it addresses the re-emergence of UK trans-exclusionary politics over the past decade through gender–critical movements. Here, I consider the ways in which feminist writers and activists have mobilized against campaigns by trans people and aligned feminist communities for the de-pathologization of trans health care and against proposals to reform law and policy around gender recognition in the UK. The third section of the paper explores how, in recent years, gender–critical thinking has gained prominence within the UK’s political and media establishments. At this juncture, I call critical attention to the ways in which gender–critical thinking has become embedded in UK parliamentary politics. The final section of the paper addresses the alliances that have been drawn between a minority strand of UK feminism, far-right movements and sympathizers, Christian fundamentalism, and populist conservative media.