Around the world
Since its launching, in 2006, the Sexuality Policy Watch website has circulated relevant information on sexual politics trends, events and actors around the world. This investment has resulted in a rich archive of global and national sexual politics.
One main feature of this database is that it is not confined to specific areas or issues. It encompasses information on abortion, sexual and reproductive rights, sex work, sexual violence, gender and women’s rights, HIV and AIDs; and emphasizes materials and analysis that contribute to locate these issues in relation to the political economy of sexuality. Since 2013, key facts, events and trends are selected and highlighted in monthly announcements.

Rita and Tina as Parts of Me
By Sonia Corrêa I took many meanders before writing this brief note about the enchantment – as the Brazilian writer Guimarães Rosa described death – of the singers Rita Lee and Tina Turner. I am not writing about them, these admirable artists, generous persons, phoenix women who have remade their lives many times as […]
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Sexual Politics from February to July 2023
>>> Read/download in PDF <<< Opening Words This newsletter describes and seeks to contextualize the developments in sexual politics since February 2023. In times of democratic deterioration around the world, sexual politics, our object of analysis, inevitably finds itself entangled in authoritarian shifts. The pervasive effects of de-democratization are palpable in anti-gender political dynamics and […]
Read moreDobbs, one year: compilation of 2022’s Scotus ruling against abortion right
One Year, 61 Clinics: How Dobbs Changed the Abortion Landscape – NY Times The Hell of Providing Health Care in a Post-Dobbs America – Mother Jones A year after fall of Roe v. Wade, 25 million women live in states with abortion bans or restrictions – PBS The Anti-Abortion Movement Gets a Dose of Post-Roe […]
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Anti-trans attacks in sports: a necessary update
By Nana Soares. In July 2022, we published an article echoing and contextualising the guidelines then adopted by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) regarding the participation of trans women in their competitions. As we highlight in the article, gender policing in sports is not a new debate, but it is one that has intensified and taken on new forms in recent years.
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Senegal unrest: news and analysis
Senegal’s Macky Sall rules out third term after deadly protests – AlJazeera The sexual assault case behind Senegal’s unrest – AlJazeera Senegalese women fear rights setback over Sonko rape trial – AlJazeera Senegal, one of Africa’s bastions of stability, faces its gravest threat of unrest in decades – CNBC Senegal: Presidency accuses opposition of ‘destabilizing […]
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Anti-trans drive in US: compilation of 2023 so far (English and Portuguese)
Maping and tracking Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures – American Civil Liberties Union 2023 anti-trans bills tracker – Trans Legislation Tracker Analysis and statements Inside the Secret Working Group That Helped Push Anti-Trans Laws Across the Country – Mother Jones Anti-Trans Legislation Is Becoming a National Security Issue – The […]
Read moreTunisia: autocratic push in 2023: compilation (English and Portuguese)
Tunisia: Rached Ghannouchi sentencing part of ‘aggressive crackdown’ by Kais Saied – Middle East Eye Rached Ghannouchi arrest ‘tragic loss’ for Tunisia and region, academics say – Middle East Eye Human rights groups condemn attacks on Tunisia’s judiciary – AlJazeera Tunisia: Book comparing Kais Saied to Frankenstein’s monster confiscated – Middle East Eye ‘We were […]
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Turkey: Erdogan reelection and democracy downturn
How Recep Tayyip Erdogan became Turkey’s most powerful leader – NPR Türkiye election result – why do people vote for authoritarian leaders? – IDS Turkey elections: Erdogan’s win highlights political fault lines – Middle East Eye What Erdogan’s reelection means for Turkey – PBS What Erdoğan’s re-election means for Turkey and the West – […]
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India authoritarian drive in 2023: compilation of setbacks and resistance
Child rights body NCPCR asks states not to work with UNICEF — ‘involved in activities out of its purview’ – The Print Rahul Gandhi disqualification: It’s more about India’s democratic journey – The Hindu Why India’s defamation laws are hurting its democracy – Coda India: Rahul Gandhi’s defamation trial highlights drift away from democracy […]
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Uganda newest and harsh anti-LGBT law: compilation (English and Portuguese)
English How foreign aid supported anti-LGBTQ+ advocates in Uganda – Devex Calls for US anti-rights groups to face action over Uganda anti-gay law – openDemocracy Christian fundamentalism lies behind harsh new anti-LGBTIQ bill in Uganda – openDemocracy What Does Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill Mean for Humanitarians, Development Partners and the Private Sector? – OutRight International […]
Read moreSPW and LSE host seminar on anti-gender movements in Latin America
On April 11th and 12th, the seminar “Mapping and resisting the gender phantasm in Latin America: geographies of ‘anti-gender’ movements” took place in Rio de Janeiro, organised by the Sexuality Policy Watch (SPW), in partnership with the London School of Economics and Political Science, the Arts & Humanities Research Council, and supported by the BRICS […]
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Hindu supremacism, ‘anti-gender’ politics, and feminist resistance
by Kalpana Wilson This contribution was first presented at the 2 December 2022 workshop on Transnational “Anti-Gender” Politics and Resistance, part of the AHRC-LSE project on Transnational ‘Anti-Gender’ Movements and Resistance: Narratives and Interventions. Listening to Tooba Syed[i] speaking about the struggles in which feminist movements in Pakistan are currently engaged, the resonances with the current situation […]
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Sexual Politics in 2022: Retrospective
>> Read in PDF << First words In 2022, we adjusted our perspective for monitoring and analyzing sexual politics. In the previous two years, our editorial focus had been the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects. As the dramatic and brutally lethal epidemiological scenarios have abated, we have refocused on the national and transnational dynamics of […]
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Article “Welcome to the Kremlin” – by Klementyna Suchanov
This article is one of the chapters of the book “This is War”, written by the Polish feminist journalist Klementyna Suchanova. We dearly thanks her for sharing it with SPW readers. Read it here
Read moreFeminist revolution in Iran: a compilation of articles
English Iranian woman dies ‘after being beaten by morality police’ over hijab law – The Guardian Iran unrest: Women burn headscarves at anti-hijab protests – BBC “Women! Life! Freedom!” Iranian Women Lead Nationwide Protests After Death of Mahsa Amini – Democracy Now Iran president threatens ‘decisive’ response as protests continue – Washington Post EXPLAINER: What […]
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