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Student blogger, Emily Whitchurch, Politics and International Relations BSc student, recaps the discussion. Read below for a nuanced take on the points raised in the panel:聽

Gender and sexuality are set to be decisive factors in the US鈥檚 upcoming presidential election, which takes place this November. Chaired by Dr Rebecca Jennings, Professor Phillip Ayoub, Dr Katie Gaddini and Professor Jonathan Bell delivered an engaging seminar on the significance of LGBTIQ+ voters, the role of right-wing Christian women, and the enduring fight for bodily autonomy. This was the second event in 香港六合彩中特网 Social & Historical Sciences鈥� series on the approaching election, which unpacks pressing issues of this historic election year.

Professor Ayoub began the discussion by highlighting the importance of Dobbs v. Jackson Women鈥檚 Health Organisation, the landmark ruling in 2022 that led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which had previously protected the right to an abortion. This emphasises the significance of gender and sexuality for the current political agenda, but LGBTIQ+ voters have played a key role in US elections throughout the 21st century. Professor Ayoub touched on the role of LGBTIQ+ issues in 2004 which helped secure President Bush鈥檚 reelection, through to then-Vice President Biden鈥檚 vocalisation of his support for marriage equality in 2012, which created new opportunities for the Democratic Party to speak up about LGBTIQ+ issues. Indeed, LGBTIQ+ voters are a key voting bloc in the US, and seem to be reliably left-leaning. 1 in 10 registered voters currently identify as LGBTIQ+, and the Williams Institute think tank predicts that this will grow to 1 in 5 by 2040, meaning LGBTIQ+ voters will play an increasingly important role in US elections. However, Professor Ayoub emphasised that demography is not destiny, so their future voting preferences cannot be guaranteed. The rise of homonationalism has further complicated this, with parties leveraging rhetorical support for LGBTIQ+ voters in order to justify anti-immigration or Islamophobic politics by framing migrants as homophobic. Even Trump tried to take advantage of this during his presidency, encouraging 鈥淭rump Pride鈥� while simultaneously restricting immigration, enacting the transgender military ban, and portraying transgender people as threats to children.

Honing in on discourses surrounding LGBTIQ+ issues and children, Dr Gaddini shifted our attention to right-wing evangelical Christian women in the US, who have become a highly influential group in US politics and hold significant political power in terms of voting, lobbying and financing campaigns. Reflecting on a demonstration she attended in California hosted by the Don鈥檛 Mess With Our Kids movement, Dr Gaddini discussed some responses to the question of who, exactly, is messing with America鈥檚 kids. 2020 was a major turning point for the rise of Christian women in political activism, with COVID mask mandates threatening ideas of individual freedom, Trump鈥檚 election loss sparking widespread grievances, and outrage over Black Lives Matter protests. Ultimately, these events coalesced to challenge white supremacy, prompting the political mobilisation of conservative Christian women for the first time since the 1970s. Rooted in the politics of motherhood, their focus has now shifted to opposing trans rights, protecting children from transgender people and so-called 鈥渢ransgender ideology鈥�. Dr Gaddini identified three particularly significant consequences of right-wing Christian women鈥檚 newfound engagement in politics: the emergence of a new population engaged in politics; the ability of this population to engage publicly in politics, running for local and state positions; and the continuing attack on trans rights as traditional ideas of femininity and gender hierarchy are promoted.

Lastly, Professor Bell emphasised that conflicts regarding bodily autonomy and LGBTIQ+ rights have been constant, with repeated attempts to roll back and restrict these rights to protect the dominance of heteronormativity and patriarchy in US society. The Supreme Court is particularly influential here, and the upcoming presidential election means there could be a shift in the ideological makeup of the court, as the new president will be able to nominate new judges to replace any who retire. Trump, for instance, was able to do significant damage to policymaking around sex and gender during his presidency, nominating Brett Kavanagh and Amy Coney Barrett to the court. Importantly, this battle around bodily autonomy and LGBTIQ+ rights has produced a dovetailing of social and economic agendas. Dr Gaddini introduced us to this social agenda earlier, describing the rise of conservative Christian women, but the economic agenda is also significant as the US continues to strip away state protections for people. Gay marriage, for instance, is often a gateway for LGBTIQ+ couples to access to health benefits like Medicare. These conversations remain ever-relevant and ever-changing, as the Supreme Court heard Idaho v. United States on April 24, which will determine whether abortions are permissible in emergencies.

Gender and sexuality will continue to be used as political battlegrounds ahead of November鈥檚 presidential election, particularly as LGBTIQ+ voters and right-wing Christian women assert themselves as important voting blocs. Regardless of who wins the election, the fight for transgender rights and bodily autonomy will continue.

Watch the recording

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Meet the speakers聽

• Chair: Dr Rebecca Jennings is Associate Professor in Modern Gender (香港六合彩中特网 History) and Vice-Dean Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (香港六合彩中特网 Faculty of Social & Historical Sciences)
• Professor Phillip Ayoub is Professor of International Relations (香港六合彩中特网 Department of Political Science)
• Dr Katie Gaddini is Associate Professor of Sociology (香港六合彩中特网 Social Research Institute) and Affiliate Researcher (香港六合彩中特网 Centre for US Politics and 香港六合彩中特网 Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation)
• Professor Jonathan Bell is Professor of American History (香港六合彩中特网 Institute of the Americas)

About the series

Subsequent events in the series will unpack diverse topics including聽climate change, global migration and urban studies, and media and populism. The series will culminate with a reflection session in November, examining these themes in light of the election outcome.