Backlash, Intersectionality, and Trumpism

Many feminists theorize backlash as reactionary opposition to progressive gains by those seeking to reestablish the status quo. This essay extends this theorization by raising and answering two related questions: where does backlash come from, and what does backlash do? I argue that backlash emerges from the resurgence of questions regarding who belongs in the polity and that these questions about proper membership are reflected in contemporary conservative discourse that casts certain groups, such as migrants, Muslims, and women—especially transgender women—as outsiders. Backlash thus functions at the level of physical violence as well as existential threat. I illustrate these arguments by focusing on two cases: a personal narrative of backlash I experienced shortly after the 2016 election and an intersectional analysis of rhetoric used by conservative commentator Milo Yiannopolous in two televised appearances that took place in 2017.