The AFA organized a Town Hall meeting on February 20, 2025, followed by another on March 6, 2025. Through these discussions, AFA members reached a consensus to issue a statement breaking the silence on pressing issues in the U.S. and beyond.

To strengthen our collective voice, we engaged with other AAA subsections and interest groups whose missions align with ours, inviting them to co-sign the statement.

We are pleased to announce that the AFA, along with the Association for Political and Legal Anthropology (APLA) Board, the Association for Queer Anthropology (AQA), and The Council on Anthropology and Reproduction (CAR), jointly present this statement, affirming our solidarity and commitment to concrete action plans as our next step.

Statement from the Association for Feminist Anthropology that is Co-signed by APLA Board, AQA, and CAR

As feminist anthropologists who study gender, sexuality, and inequality across cultures, we strongly oppose the systematic rollback of gender and LGBTQ+ rights under the Trump administration. Essentialist narratives falsely claim that gender and sexual identities are natural, biological, and binary. These narratives have long been used—historically and today—to suppress the rights of women and pregnant people, limit bodily autonomy, and marginalize LGBTQ+ communities. Yet our research clearly demonstrates that gender and sexuality are social and cultural constructions that vary across time and place. They are fluid, historically shaped, and deeply embedded in systems of power and oppression.

We emphasize that gender discrimination does not exist in isolation—it intersects with race, class, disability, nationality, and other identity categories, further exacerbating inequalities. The repeal of legal protections, reinforcement of traditional gender and sexual norms, and denial of historic and contemporary systemic discrimination disproportionately harm Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC), immigrants, working-class people, and people with disabilities. These historically marginalized groups bear the brunt of current administrative attacks, facing increased fear, uncertainty, and declines in health, economic stability, education, and social belonging. Yet they are not alone. As feminist anthropologists, we recognize that these repressive and regressive policies harm us all, jeopardizing the well-being of human and non-human collectivities worldwide.

We stand in solidarity with activists, scholars, and marginalized communities fighting for reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ rights, racial equity, environmental justice, and economic justice. We urge policymakers, educators, and the public to recognize that gender justice is not a privilege but a fundamental human right. The fight for inclusive, intersectional, and evidence-based policies must continue to challenge the structural inequalities that shape people’s lived experiences across gender, race, class, and other identity markers in the U.S. and globally.

We invite other anthropologists, scholarly organizations outside of anthropology, and institutions to join us in pushing back against these harmful narratives and policies.

— The Association for Feminist Anthropology (AFA)

— The Association for Political and Legal Anthropology (APLA) Board

— The Association for Queer Anthropology (AQA)

— The Council on Anthropology and Reproduction (CAR)