From Direct Action to Productive Resistance: Feminist and LGBT+ Responses to Anti-Gender Mobilizations in Europe

Despite extensive research on anti-gender mobilizations, there remains a lack of focus on how feminist and LGBT+ movements respond to these challenges. Operating within a socio-political context characterized by post-truth misinformation, radical-right populism, and declining trust in science, feminist and LGBT+ actors face adverse structural conditions that require innovative approaches to sustain collective action, build coalitions, and advocate for inclusive policies. To address this gap, we investigated this issue through the Horizon 2020 project FIERCE – Feminist Movements Revitalizing Democracy in Europe. Based on interviews with feminist and LGBT+ activists from eight European countries (Italy, Slovenia, France, Turkey, Spain, Poland, Greece, Denmark), we identify the following key strategies: public actions, legal and institutional actions, watchdog advocacy, strategic communication, digital activism, strategic withdrawal, community and coalition building, and empowerment and protective advocacy. While many of these strategies have historical roots, their contemporary significance is crucial. Initially, feminist and LGBT+ movements underestimated anti-gender threats, leading to delayed responses and a reactive phase against neoconservative attacks. Currently, movements are transitioning into what we term the “productive resistance” phase, which shifts the focus away from direct confrontations toward proactive policy development, allowing them to avoid reactive engagements and concentrate on advancing their own agendas. In this phase, movements minimize engagement with anti-gender actors and prioritize coalition-building. However, the success of these strategies depends on the strength of democratic institutions, as demonstrated by the constraints faced in illiberal democratic regimes. The main contribution of our paper lies in conceptualizing “productive” dimension of resistance, providing insight into how feminist and LGBT+ movements, even in a reactive environment, are advancing new, innovative strategies for sustained action.