The Hate Review

Country Group: Moderate dual entrenchment

Key indicators in 2025: Contamination 2.78 / 4  ·  Impact 2.33 / 4

Over the last decades, anti-gender activity in the Netherlands has been persistent but structurally limited, operating within a context of broad societal and political consensus on LGBTIQ+ equality and reproductive rights. The movement’s centre of gravity rested historically with the orthodox Reformed Protestant and Christian democratic parliamentary bloc, whose opposition has been consistent but contained. From the mid-2010s, the entry of populist and far-right actors broadened the field beyond its religious base, introducing cultural-nationalist and disinformation-driven repertoires. The decisive shift came in 2022–2023, when opposition to the Transgender Law Reform Bill generated an unprecedented convergence of religious, so-called “gender critical” and populist actors around child protection and women’s safety narratives. The formation of the Schoof coalition in 2024 translated this convergence into executive power for the first time. The return to a centrist coalition in February 2026 has reversed the political direction, but the movement’s organisational capacity and parliamentary foothold remain intact.