How the anti-gender movement spread across Europe

The Hate Review

Albania

Country Group: Contamination-led

 

Key indicators in 2025: Contamination 2.33 / 4  ·  Impact 1.78 / 4

 

Over the past twenty-five years, anti-gender activity in Albania has moved from diffuse religious opposition and isolated incidents of official hate speech, through organised civil society mobilisation, to a coordinated and internationally connected movement. A moment of potential reform in July 2009 — when Prime Minister Berisha announced support for same-sex civil unions — collapsed immediately under religious pressure, establishing a pattern of reform attempts followed by organised backlash that has repeated ever since. The 2016 failure to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the constitutional non-discrimination clause and the 2018 termination of school awareness activities under media and political pressure were key turning points. The founding of ProFam in 2020 marked a structural shift towards proactive, institutionally networked mobilisation. By 2024–2025 the movement had shown that it could shape legislative outcomes within the governing majority itself, as the forced dilution of the Gender Equality Law illustrated.

Timeline of anti-gender activity in Albania
Year Abortion & Reproductive Rights Sex & Relationship Education LGBTIQ+ Visibility Partnerships, Marriage & Family Legal Gender Recognition & Healthcare Istanbul Convention Language & Gender Studies Civil Society & Democratic Space
1990s
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
A
2010
D
2011
2012
MA
2013
2014
A
2015
2016
O
A
2017
2018
OA
2019
2020
2021
LT
D
2022
M
O
O
2023
2024
OMA
LA
MI
O
2025
P
OLMIADT
2026
Actions by anti-gender actors
OOpposition to progressive law or regulation/policy PProposal or implementation of anti-gender law or regulation/policy LStrategic litigation
MProtest or demonstration IPetition or citizen initiative AAdvocacy campaign
DDisinformation campaign TTransnational interference

The evolution of the anti-gender movement in Albania