Gender found Guilty: Anti-Gender Backlash and (Dis)Translation Politics in Iraq

The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court banned the term gender in February 2024, triggering a crackdown on gender equity and significantly restricting space for feminist activism and advocacy. My presentation draws on findings from my published article “Gender Found Guilty,” in which I examine the conditions that led to the 2023 anti-gender backlash in Iraq, the discursive strategies employed by the backlashers, and the broader implications for feminist activism. I use the term backlash critically to emphasize that the anti-gender movement was not merely a reaction. Rather, it reinforced an already existing reality in which the rights of women and other vulnerable groups are systematically undermined. In my work, I connect these discursive attacks to ongoing sociopolitical repression following the 2019 Tishreen (October) protests and a climate of widespread disinformation. The backlash gained traction by weaponizing concepts of gender and homophobia. Opponents framed the term gender as a Western plot designed to undermine Islamic values and societal norms. They exploited the problematic relationship between gender and translation, deliberately misinterpreting terms to construct a narrative that demonizes gender and those who support gendered understandings of social relationships. By analyzing the discourse of the backlashers and incorporating local feminist voices, my presentation highlights the impact of this backlash on gendered activism, academic inquiry, and women’s rights. It concludes by discussing the intertwined nature of discursive and material violence, emphasizing the erosion of human rights in post-2003 Iraq and contributing to the broader literature on gendered activism in the Middle East and globally.