ABSTRACT
One cannot fully understand social movements without understanding the dynamic relationship and interaction with their counterparts, and how movements influence countermovements and vice versa. An understanding of the interactions and exchanges among activists of opposing movements is of utmost importance to this book, especially when analyzing the ways in which LGBTQI actors use digital media and communications to resist and respond to anti-gender mobilizations (the countermovement) and their discourses. For this purpose, this chapter first presents a preliminary analysis of the emergence of the anti-gender countermovement in Europe. Second, it investigates its intersection with specific political and religious projects and the conditions that have given rise to anti-gender mobilizations. Finally, the Italian anti-gender movement and its organizational structure, networks, and actors are analyzed. Practical cases are also presented to showcase tactics and strategies employed by actors to articulate their collective interests, claims and targets.
