Anti-gender ideology and the depiction of lesbians in the manosphere

Abstract

Recent far-right and religious fundamentalist coalitions in Europe and the U.S. seek populist support through “anti-gender” rhetoric. These coalitions are in alignment with the manosphere in endorsement of biological essentialism and antifeminist, anti-LGBTQ stances. Based upon an examination of the data gathered for projects examining two manosphere communities (Red Pill and Incel), a clear picture emerges wherein they casually disparage lesbians and conflate lesbians with feminists, unearthing 1970s and 1980s political lesbian writings and discussing them out of context. Ironically, the dissatisfaction with gender relations that drove lesbian separatists at the time drives the manosphere, especially Incel, to be even more misogynistic and violent in service of their feelings of entitlement to women’s bodies. This can be understood as part of a backlash against feminist and LGBTQ rights that is empowering fascists using anti-gender rhetoric in their rise to power.

Keywords:

• Anti-gender
• manosphere
• incel
• red pill
• lesbian

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Michael Vallerga

Michael Vallerga is currently a social psychology PhD candidate at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He earned his MA in experimental psychology at San Jose State University in 2010. His research focuses upon authoritarianism, masculinity, conspiracy belief, and how they are related.