A new wave of opposition to gender has arisen over the last years in Europe. It particularly targets women’s sexual and reproductive rights as well as LGBT rights. Opposition takes various forms, such as hostile public discourse, street demonstrations or the adoption of more restrictive laws. It also interacts with current European developments, like the economic crisis, the persistence of nationalism and the rise of populism. It questions the interactions between religion and politics.

Research is however underdeveloped, and this semi-plenary is an attempt to shed more light on these events. It gathers leading scholars on the topic, and will particularly focus on the European Union, the Vatican, France, Poland and Russia.