Athena Forum

29/05/2026

Faika recently participated in an inspiring event held by European Network of Migrant Women (ENoMW) . Here are her reflections:

"Last weekend, I spoke about why it takes courage to stand up for women’s rights, and how our values give us the foundation to do so.

Women are a universally and uniquely oppressed group and, as a political class, deserve rights, dignity and protection. Everything else is downstream from this: being able to name, and fight against, violence against women, exploitation in prostitution, po*******hy and surrogacy, and other forms of oppression. And to fight for the dignity, safety and equality of women.

It should not take courage to say so. But civil society spaces have cast out women from their own “communities” for insisting on s*x-based rights and have made belonging conditional on conformity.

I have experienced all of this myself. The thorough capture of activist movements: feminist and women’s rights organisations, anti-racism networks (including those working on anti-Muslim racism), refugee and migrant organisations, disability rights groups, youth activism, the climate movement, development cooperation.

It is not only deeply unpleasant, but has existential consequences: reputational damage, loss of income or funding, exclusion from platforms, networks and opportunities, monitoring and reporting, de-banking and removal from income generating services, court proceedings for hate speech and extremism, threats, harassment and attacks.

Values are only meaningful if they can be held under pressure. Civil society depends on space for disagreement. And women’s rights depend on clarity about s*x-based inequality.

I am grateful to the European Network of Migrant Women
European Network of Migrant Women (ENoMW)
for the courageous work they are doing to protect this. And for inviting me to share my experience, my perspectives and the reasons that led me to create Athena Forum"

27/05/2026

A symposium on surrogacy in the Netherlands took place today at Nieuwspoort, the official press centre of the Dutch parliament. Marianne Driessen of Athena Forum was there.

Currently, there is a policy of discouragement regarding surrogacy in the Netherlands. The Child, Surrogacy and Paternity Bill aims to change this and to regulate the practice by law in the Netherlands.

The event was organised by NVP, a Dutch Christian patients association, and brought together four speakers to discuss the societal, ethical, and legal questions raised by surrogacy.

Among the speakers was Olivia Maurel (pictured here with Marianne) who began her speech with the words “I stand here as a feminist and an atheist, as a child born out of surrogacy and as a mother.”

In her powerful speech, Olivia described coming to terms with the feeling of having been bought before she was born. She argued that to legalise surrogacy is to normalise it, and pointed out that while for adoption there is a huge framework of safeguarding, when it comes to surrogacy, anyone can buy a child.

15/05/2026

Our visit to Brussels revealed a political climate shaped by fear, silenced debate and legal incoherence.

Last week, we travelled to Brussels for a series of advocacy meetings with Members of the European Parliament across political groups, alongside discussions with civil society actors and women’s organisations, including the European Network of Migrant Women (ENoMW)

What emerged from our meetings with MEPs was revealing. Across political groups, most parliamentarians acknowledged that these issues are deeply contested. Many recognised that the current climate inside the European Parliament, including in the Committee on Women’s Rights (FEMM), has become so polarised around questions of s*x, gender identity and related concepts such as gender mainstreaming that meaningful debate is all but impossible.

Read our full reflections here:

Our visit to Brussels revealed a political climate shaped by fear, silenced debate and legal incoherence.

13/05/2026

Today, the European Commission adopted a Communication responding to the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) ‘Ban on conversion practices in the European Union'.

We were relieved that the Commission stopped short of pursuing an EU-wide ban and will not seek to add conversion practices to the list of EU crimes under Article 83(1) TFEU. However, it plans to issue a non-binding recommendation next year urging states to introduce bans on so-called conversion practices, while continuing to mobilise its enormous resources and soft-power machinery to pressure governments into adopting such legislation.

Gender identity has thoroughly captured the EU. The range of actions announced today is aimed at consolidating far-reaching regimes in some Member States, nudging reluctant ones off the fence, and laying the groundwork for the next political turn in resistant states and EU candidate countries.

Broad opposition is growing across Europe, led by feminists, le***an and gay rights organisations, parent groups, and an increasing number of clinicians and therapists raising concerns about the risks involved. Yet these voices are systematically excluded from the EU’s internal discussions.

Bans on so-called “conversion practices” are deceptively framed. They invoke the brutal abuse once inflicted on le***ans and gay men, while applying that historical imagery to something fundamentally different. Framed around gender identity and expression, these bans risk harming the very people they claim to protect - particularly gender non-conforming children who may simply grow up to be le***an, gay, or bis*xual.

Such bans entrench the unscientific belief that some children are “born in the wrong body” and should be placed on a path toward irreversible medicalisation. In practice, they make affirmation of a child’s self-declared gender identity a legal requirement not only for therapists, but for teachers, doctors, and even families.

Making affirmation the only permissible approach to a child’s self declared gender identity is not protection. Young people struggling with their s*x require open, exploratory and therapeutic support; their families deserve evidence-based care; and society needs honesty and clarity.

Read our full policy brief on conversion therapy bans here: https://athena-forum.eu/resources/briefing-a-deceptive-label-on-conversion-therapy-bans/

08/05/2026

Our visit to Brussels was carried out in collaboration with
European Network of Migrant Women (ENoMW) whose support was essential throughout.

We also met with the UN Independent Expert on Violence against Women and Girls, Reem Alsalem, the
European Women's Lobby and our friends from the European Network of Migrant Women (ENoMW) who are working directly with migrant and refugee women.

They are the only European women’s network consistently working for s*x-based rights. Please follow them!

08/05/2026

This week we have been in Brussels at the European Parliament meeting with MEPs from across the political spectrum as well as with civil society organisations. We’ve had some very valuable exchanges about the importance of women’s s*x based rights, child safeguarding and freedom of expression, and we will be following up with those we met.

It was clear from many conversations we had that MEPs are accustomed to discussions about these issues being polarised and they were surprised to hear a critique of the erosion of s*x based rights that comes from people with a background in progressive politics, le***an and gay rights activism and feminism. We hope we gave them food for thought.

Our aim is to move these debates beyond automatic polarised positions and bring critical scrutiny to proposals like self-ID, conversion therapy bans which include gender identity and the expansion of hate speech regulations.

As ever we are very grateful to our supporters without whom we could not do this work. We have no large donors or institutional funding. If you would like to make a small regular donation to support our work, see link in bio.

08/05/2026

This week we have been in Brussels at the European Parliament meeting with MEPs from across the political spectrum as well as with civil society organisations. We've had some very valuable exchanges about the importance of women's s*x based rights, child safeguarding and freedom of expression, and we will be following up with those we met.

It was clear from many conversations we had that MEPs are accustomed to discussions about these issues being polarised and they were surprised to hear a critique of the erosion of s*x based rights that comes from people with a background in progressive politics, le***an and gay rights activism and feminism. We hope we gave them food for thought.

Our aim is to move these debates beyond knee-jerk polarised positions and bring critical scrutiny to proposals like self-ID, conversion therapy bans which include gender identity and the expansion of hate speech regulations.

As ever, we are very grateful to our supporters without whom we could not do this work. We have no large donors or institutional funding. If you are able to make a small regular donation to support our work, you can do so here: https://athena-forum.eu/donate/

01/05/2026

We were delighted to be able to give away some of our beautiful pins to new and existing supporters.

Many of you got in touch to tell us why our work is important to you. Here are some of our favourite comments (we've kept them all anonymous):

“I subscribe and pay monthly to the Athena Forum because I believe your work is possibly the most important work in Europe at the moment when it comes to dismantling the laws, rules, and policies that are enforcing gender identity belief, eroding single-s*x spaces, and putting young people at risk.”

"I despair at the rapid assault on women’s rights across Europe, and the few voices effectively challenging the onslaught. We have a long way to go, and so little support, but it has to start somewhere. Thank you for the amazing impact you have made in such a short space of time."

"I support Athena because you give me so much hope. What you started is something that I really want to be part of. It's courageous and a great mission. Thank you for starting this!"

"Keep up the essential fight for European common sense!"

A huge thank you to all our supporters - it's only because of your generosity that we are able to do our work.

29/04/2026

Athena Forum was set up as an impactful and strategic intervention in the European political arena, built to endure against all odds. This is our baseline: We do not police each other’s thoughts or positions.

28/04/2026

Two things can be wrong at the same time.

Hungary’s law restricting the “portrayal and promotion” of homos*xuality and gender identity is discriminatory, but the CJEU’s ruling raises its own problems.

Our latest analysis argues that both the law and the ruling deserve critical attention.

Read it here:

Governments should not restrict freedom of expression, assembly and association – and courts should not adopt contested ideological language in their reasoning; neither amounts to a defence of values.