Manufacturing Threat

Across the world, transgender people are increasingly placed at the centre of political, legal, and cultural conflict. Debates about trans rights are often framed around questions of safety, morality, or social stability. However, these debates are rarely just about trans people themselves.

This course introduces the concept of trans-weaponisation: the strategic use of trans identities and issues to advance broader political agendas and reinforce existing power structures. As outlined in the report, trans identities have long been used as symbolic sites onto which societies project wider anxieties about gender, reproduction, race, and authority .

Rather than seeing current backlash as sudden or isolated, this course traces a historical pattern. From early scientific classification to modern media narratives, similar tactics reappear across time. All reshaped to fit new political contexts but serving familiar purposes.

To understand this, we also introduce key theoretical tools. Thinkers such as Michel Foucault and Judith Butler help us see how power operates not just through laws or force, but through ideas through what mainstream society defines as “normal,” “natural,” or “acceptable.” These frameworks allow us to recognise how narratives about gender are constructed, repeated, and used politically.

This course is designed for activists. It moves beyond theory to provide practical insight into how trans-weaponisation works and how it can be challenged. By identifying patterns, understanding their origins, and analysing how they evolve, participants can better anticipate emerging threats and respond strategically.

Ultimately, this course argues that trans-weaponisation is not simply about identity politics. It is a structural strategy, rooted in deeper social and political dynamics. Understanding it is essential to defending human rights, not only for trans people, but for broader movements that aim to advance human rights.