How the anti-gender movement spread across Europe

The Hate Review

Denmark

Country Group: Nascent mobilisation

Key indicators in 2025: Contamination 1.78 / 4  ·  Impact 1.32 / 4

The trajectory of anti-gender activity in Denmark over the last decades has been one of gradual emergence, characterised by a configuration distinctive in the European context: relatively secular, loosely organised, and focused almost entirely on trans-related policies rather than same-sex rights or abortion. Early opposition centred on Dansk Folkeparti’s sustained resistance to marriage equality through the 2000s. From 2018, a coordinated campaign by evangelical Lutheran organisations introduced the language of “queer ideology” into mainstream public debate. The movement’s more structured phase began in 2022 with the founding of Dansk Regnbueråd, which operationalised a “child protection” frame targeting gender-related care for minors and gained disproportionate mainstream media access. Each progressive advance has triggered a sharper political reaction than the last. While Denmark remains far from the legislative rollbacks seen elsewhere in Europe, the consolidation of anti-gender forces in parliament and media marks a meaningful shift.

Timeline of anti-gender activity in Denmark
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
O
2008
2009
2010
O
2011
2012
O
2013
M
2014
O
2015
2016
2017
M
P
2018
M
A
2019
2020
P
2021
D
P
2022
OM
M
2023
P
MADT
PAD
A
2024
M
A
PA
A
PA
2025
O
P
A
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 Denmark