Institutions and activists are constantly trying new and creative ways to counter the backlash. Our ‘Cards Against Backlash: Forwards to a Feminist Future – Strategies for Surviving and Countering Gender Backlash’ draws on real-life tactics from our programme but individuals and organisations have been anonymised to keep them safe. These inspiring strategies are based on our struggles.

The front cover of our 'Cards Against Backlash'. There are cartoon images of people in various positions, and holding various tools and items such as LGBTQI+ flags, books, loudspeakers. There is text that reads 'Cards Against Backlash: Forwards to a Feminist Future - Strategies for Surviving and Countering Gender Backlash'

What’s inside?

The cards use the categories of ‘Resisting’, ‘Surviving’ and ‘Creating Feminist Futures’ to share 6 strategies on:

  1. Surviving and Centring Care
  2. Agile Activism
  3. Creating Coalitions
  4. Language & Stories
  5. Careful Digital Practice
  6. Capacity Building

What can you do with them?

These cards are not a ‘how to’ guide; they are a provocation. We want you to connect these ideas to your own work, so we have created a blank card for your own strategies and each of the existing cards has a space to add to it.

Download ‘Cards Against Backlash’ now!

Helpful resources

Here are some more useful resources that you can use to counter backlash!

Countering Backlash: Our research, resources, and learning: Access all of our programme outputs, including toolkits, resource guides, storybooks, working papers, journals, and much more.

What is Digital Self-care?: Seven digital self-care tips “for establishing and nurturing your digital self-care” from ‘Glitch’ – a charity aiming to end online abuse and champion digital citizenship.

Feminist Helplines: A global community of initiatives from ‘Digital Defenders Partnership’ that provide support to women and LGTBQIA+ people facing digital gender-based violence.

Self-care Resources for Feminists: This guide from global non-profit ‘Chayn’ offers tips and guidance for ‘mental healing after abuse and trauma’.

Digital Support for Civil Society: This ‘tech-care’ guide shares steps on how to set up a digital security helpdesk for civil society, ‘with a holistic and intersectional approach. 

Resource Pack: Online Safety for Activists: From Countering Backlash partner organisation ‘BIGD’, this pack provides a comprehensive list of strategies and existing protection mechanisms to create safety for online activists and others.