Misinformation in the ‘gender wars’ in Britain: affective attachments in the use and misuse of evidence

Attempts to reform the UK’s 2004 Gender Recognition Act have sparked intense public debates regarding trans inclusion in gender-segregated spaces (e.g. toilets, women’s refuges, hospitals, prisons, and sports). Discussions have become highly polarised, framed by mainstream media as a battle over ‘trans rights vs women’s rights’ and a struggle over the meaning and significance of ‘sex vs gender’. Contributing to these divisions is the widespread circulation of misinformation – including false claims, misleading narratives, and decontextualised statistics – by those who oppose trans rights. This chapter traces why and how these false narratives have taken hold and the wider social and political assumptions that underpin them. The chapter argues that the rampant circulation of misinformation not only rests on misplaced fears, but also from emotional investments in punitive safety politics and outrage economies. This combination of misinformation and emotional investments helps explain how divergent views shift from mere political disagreement into heightened states of ‘us/them’ polarisation and offers insights into what is potentially required to overcome such divisions.