A new issue of the #CCINDLE newsletter is out today, with plenty of project updates and outputs. In this edition, we reflect on the Gender-Based Violence and Online Harms Symposium, the travails and rewards of LGBT+ parenting in Poland, and the neoliberal precarity of contemporary universities.

Register for the First Feminist Futures Workshop: Feminist Responses to Anti-Democratic Politics | CCINDLE When: Friday 20th March 2026, 10:30 am – 2:30 pm Where: CEU Democracy Institute, Budapest. Budapest Site Nador u. 15, Auditorium A Across Europe and beyond, feminist actors are at the forefront of resisting anti-gender and anti-democratic movements. What strategies are working? What challenges are emerging? And how can feminist futures be collectively imagined and […]

Read more about the event and its expert panellists below, and sign up to join us on the 20th March and learn about the challenges and practices of feminist resistance to anti-gender and anti-democratic politics. Stay tuned for more #CCINDLE events in the coming months:

Today is the very last chance to register for the first #CCINDLE Feminist Futures Workshop in Budapest next week at the CEU Democracy Institute of the Central European University.

Sunday 15th is the closing date for registration for the #CCINDLE Feminist Futures Workshop, hosted by the CEU Democracy Institute of the Central European University in Budapest on the 20th March.

The recent #CCINDLE blog from Julia Palejko at the University of Amsterdam explores the barriers for LGBTQ parents in Poland, with deficiencies in legal and structural support exacerbating the state homophobia and widespread social prejudice.

It is less than two weeks until the first #CCINDLE Feminist Futures Workshop, hosted by the CEU Democracy Institute of the Central European University in Budapest on the 20th March, and registration is still open.

Last year, #CCINDLE and Trilateral Research gathered guests from around the world for the Gender-Based Violence and Online Harms Symposium at the Royal Society in London.

A new #CCINDLE blog from Julia Palejko at the University of Amsterdam dives into the lived reality of queer parenthood in Poland.

We are pleased to announce that the first #CCINDLE Feminist Futures Workshop is set to take place in Budapest on the 20th March, with expert discussion and exchange on the dynamics of anti-gender and anti-democratic politics, courtesy of our partners at the Central European University and a

A new batch of #CCINDLE evidence bites give quick summaries and practical takeaways from our research on anti-gender and anti-democratic movements.

#LGBTQ+HistoryMonth is running throughout February in the UK, and at other times internationally. #CCINDLE works to identify modes of resistance amidst anti-gender and anti-democratic mobilisations, and you can see a cross-section of these here on our interactive map.

Beyond Survival: Civil Society Strategies of Resilience and Resistance in Hungary | CCINDLE In a remarkable display of democratic resistance and solidarity, this year we witnessed the largest-ever Budapest Pride march, countering a governmental ban imposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s administration. Approximately 200,000 citizens came together, standing firm for fundamental democratic values, including the right to peaceful assembly and LGBTQ+ rights. This historic march marked a powerful democratic moment, showcasing the resilience of Hungarian civil society against anti-gender and anti-democratic politics. Set against anti-gender and anti-democratic politics, our research in CCINDLE into feminist civil society activism in Hungary reveals innovative strategies that activists use to navigate autocratic pressures. Drawing from in-depth interviews and focus groups, we highlight how activists rely on dualities in their operations to maximize impact and reach more people. Specifically, we identified three such adaptive strategies: duality in structure, duality in access, and duality in framing. One effective approach among civil society organisations is what we call duality in structure. Here, organizations maintain two parallel structures: one formal, institutionalized wing, and one informal, grassroots counterpart. The structured branch typically engages with official institutions, securing legitimacy, funding, and the ability to provide essential services directly to their communities. Meanwhile, the grassroots wing remains independent, embracing a more radical, mobilization-focused approach – sometimes in an uninstitutionalized format. As one of our interviewees explained: [In the beginning] we provided funding, which was also part of the infrastructure in a sense—we very consciously supported the movement in finding its own form. […] They truly operate as a very grassroots, informal organization, which makes them much less exposed. I believe they are genuinely independent. I would rather emphasize their freedom and highlight that they are really able to represent women's experiences without any kind of compromise. The second duality—duality in access—centers around feminist activists’ deliberate strategy of embedding feminist ideals within broader, intersecting social movements. Some organizations (and also some individuals) strategically position themselves to operate effectively in multiple circles without constant conflict. This strategy aims at creating balance and fostering harmonious connections between different perspectives, potentially fostering broader alliances amongst civil society organizations and movements. The third adaptive strategy observed among feminist activists is the duality in framing. This duality involves activists selectively modulating their language, identity labels, and public positioning based on the audience and the political context. Given Hungary’s politicized environment, organizations sometimes intentionally downplay explicitly feminist terminology publicly to maintain a broader appeal and protect themselves from targeted repression, while maintaining radical, feminist messaging internally. For instance, certain feminist-led organizations consciously avoid using explicitly feminist language externally to ensure broader societal acceptance and operational continuity. This careful framing is particularly important for organizations providing essential services, as overly explicit feminist language might alienate potential allies or beneficiaries uncomfortable with politicized terms. Conversely, other groups adopt overtly radical framing to clearly assert their feminist stance, leveraging bold, explicit rhetoric to galvanize activist communities and challenge oppressive societal norms openly. The Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest at night Rather than solely focusing on policy outcomes, Hungarian feminist activists emphasize resilience, community solidarity, emotional support, and symbolic victories. Achievements therefore, are redefined through subjective collective experiences rather than external policy changes alone. Feminist activists continuously reinterpret challenges as acts of resistance, creating powerful narratives that inspire continued mobilization even amid setbacks. The recent Budapest Pride exemplifies this dynamic, as despite direct governmental attempts at suppression activists successfully organized the largest Pride demonstration in the city’s history. This event symbolizes a crucial shift in how democratic movements interpret their accomplishments—not merely by immediate political change, but through symbolic resistance, visibility, solidarity, and the unyielding assertion of democratic rights. Hungarian civil society activists show resilience, adaptability, and creativity through the three dualities of structure, access, and framing. Their ability to sustain activism under restrictive conditions—vividly illustrated by the determination behind Budapest Pride—demonstrates the persistent strength of civil society and its capacity for transformative impact even in increasingly autocratic contexts. Author: Mirjam Sagi, Central European University. 15th July 2025

It’s #LGBTQHistoryMonth this month, and a chance to reflect on the role of activism in social change. Last year, a #CCINDLE blog from Mirjam Sagi at the Central European University noted the power of Budapest Pride in the face of attempted government repression:

The #CCINDLE project explores how anti-gender and anti-democratic forces intersect and transcend borders, and opposition to LGBTQ+ rights is a frequent corollary of these movements.

Section 28: What was it and how did it affect LGBT+ people? The law existed from 1988 - 2003 and affected LGBT+ people. Here's what you need to know about it

This week, #CCINDLE will be highlighting resources to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and reflect on the impact of these legacies. Learn more about Section 28 here:

One recent #CCINDLE blog from Elzbieta Korolczuk explores the new institutions working to reshape knowledge production along anti-gender and authoritarian lines, diving into three examples from Hungary, Poland, and France.

Anti-Gender Mobilizations in the Post-Yugoslav Space This open access book advances knowledge of anti-gender mobilizations and offers helpful insights for academics, researchers, and policymakers alike.

#CCINDLE followers may well be interested in this new book, available open access from our colleagues at the #GlobalQueerPolitics series. You can read Anti-Gender Mobilizations in the Post-Yugoslav Space: Hidden Connection in full here:

Free To, Free From: Academic Freedom Through the Eyes of Early-Career Researchers | CCINDLE What does it mean to be free to learn and investigate, while at the same time being free from intersectional discrimination and structural constraints?  Addressing these questions is of utmost importance in the current context of ‘neoliberal academia’ and attacks to democracy. Across Europe and beyond, universities have been witnessing a shift towards neoliberal managerial models characterized by economic productivity standards, […]

Read the full blog from Aurora Perego and Cristina Mazzero at the Università di Trento on the #CCINDLE website:

The #CCINDLE interactive map offers a snapshot of how feminist movements operate in the face of the anti-gender and anti-democratic forces that take a variety of shapes across Europe.

Issue nine features blogs on how new institutions are subverting academic knowledge production and the communication strategies of feminist #CSOs, as well as presenting the new #CCINDLE interactive map, an ebook on anti-gender practices across seven countries, and a range of other publications

The January edition of the #CCINDLE newsletter captures recent outputs of our project on anti-gender and anti-democratic mobilisations around the world.

A new #CCINDLE blog from Aurora Perego and Cristina Mazzero at the Università di Trento explores the concept of academic freedom in the era of the neoliberal university and autocratising movements with an interest in stifling free enquiry.

Issue nine of the #CCINDLE newsletter is out now! Catch up on the latest project blogs, news and outputs, including our new interactive map, ebook, publications and blogs. Sign up on the website to get future editions straight to your inbox: ccindle.org/wp-conte...

The new #CCINDLE report on the pathways between anti-gender politics and autocratisation is a key project output from our team, and outlines how gender is a central component of autocratising ideologies around the world.

A new #CCINDLE publication from Emma Verhoeven and Rylan Verlooy at Ghent University and the University of Antwerp explores how transgender issues are framed in the pages of opinion pieces.

Happy New Year from everyone in the #CCINDLE consortium! In our final year, we want to maximise the impact of our research on the dynamics of anti-gender and anti-democratic forces around the world, and the feminist responses that are emerging in very different circumstances.

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Resources | CCINDLE Videos Podcasts CCINDLE EU Project · Feminist Futures Newsletters Policy Briefs Evidence Bites Policy Briefs Factsheet

If you haven’t yet listened to #FeministFutures — our #CCINDLE podcast series — now’s a great time to catch up.

Activists, researchers and policymakers reflect on how feminist and democratic movements intersect and evolve.

Listen via our website, Spotify or SoundCloud. ccindle.org/resources/

News | CCINDLE The CCINDLE policy brief: Advancing Equality in Parliaments in Times of Anti-Gender Hostilities Gender, Migration, and the Nation: The Racialised Politics of Secularism and Religion in Sweden and Spain Impossible Solidarities: Women of Colour Activists and White Spaces Mapping Resistances: Italian trans-feminist organizations creating grassroot knowledge to resist and exist Lessons from the third Feminist […]

Every month #CCINDLE partners publish a brand-new blog, with reflections on gender research, activism, democracy, and the personal dynamics of these struggles across our varied case study countries. Catch up on more than 30 via our website:

The #CCINDLE consortium assembles eleven organisations to explore how anti-gender and anti-democracy movements operate in seven case study countries, as well as the EU level. Meet our talented team here: ccindle.org/collabor...

A new edition of the #CCINDLE newsletter is out now!