White Picket Fence

In the midst of a virulent gender backlash and relentless attacks on our rights and freedoms, imagining a better future can feel impossible. In this season finale, we suggest an antidote to this feeling of doom: hope. Not as an emotion but as a practice. As inspiration, we highlight the unique power of women-led resistance efforts, tell the overlooked stories of a trans survivor of Nazi Germany, and begin to articulate our north star vision for gender, family, and a more just, pluralistic nation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tradwives. Stay-at-home girlfriends. Femcels. If you're a young woman in America, this is the kind of content you've likely seen on your feed lately. Last episode, we explained how the Right's investment in the "manosphere" fueled the current gender backlash. But for conservatives to successfully cement their Christian nationalist agenda, they can't just appeal to young men. They also need young women. So today, we're diving into the burgeoning "womanosphere," the social media content and political messaging designed to shift a generation of young women to the right....and back into the home.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're starting this week's episode with a bit of a rewind, back to the 1970s in the U.S. As women gained new rights and visibility, a backlash took shape among men who felt left behind. What began as scattered grievances soon grew into a movement promising to restore a vision of power they believed had been lost. Over time, this ideology found fertile ground online, fueling everything from digital echo chambers to cultural battles over faith and identity. In this episode, we explore how the market for masculinity became a cornerstone of America’s broader gender backlash—and what its staying power reveals about our politics today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lately, our government has seemed a little...baby crazy. President Trump declared he will be the "fertilization president." Vice President JD Vance announced he wants to see "more babies in the United States of America." Today, we're diving into the American pronatalist movement, a coalition of tech bros, religious traditionalists, and right-wing extremists determined to raise the American fertility rate. We'll cover who is in this movement, what they hope to accomplish, and how this iteration of pronatalism is tied to Christian nationalism and white supremacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nearly a century ago, Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin, Germany became the first establishment in the world to offer comprehensive medical services, counselling, and sex education to the LGBTQ community. The Institute reflected the progressive values that were foundational to the Weimar Republic, Germany’s first democratic government. But authoritarianism was on the rise. And to the Nazi Party, the Institute was an existential threat. What we’re experiencing today in the U.S. is frightening. But it’s not unprecedented. The weaponization of gender and sexuality is a universal feature of authoritarianism. In this episode, Julie digs more deeply into the connection between attacks on women and LGBTQ people and authoritarianism, by looking at other autocratic regimes, both past and present.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.