VIRTUAL BROKERS AND NATIONAL BOUNDARIES: TRANSNATIONAL ONLINE NETWORKS IN EUROPEAN ANTI-GENDER MOVEMENTS^*

Digital technologies seem to have become a catalyst for the transnational spread of anti-gender movements, facilitating crossborder exchanges. This study examines the extent of crossborder communication as a form of transnational online networking on Twitter between 148 anti-gender movement organizations across five European countries (Croatia, Germany, France, Italy, and Poland) over ten years. Drawing on social movement theory and social network analysis, two communication networks consisting of follow-relations and interactions (retweets, replies, and mentions) are scrutinized to detect patterns and actors’ roles. The findings are mixed: online networking predominantly remains within national boundaries, with transnational contacts occurring only sporadically. However, a few brokers periodically bridge between domestic communities, sustaining the transnational character of the online network and crossborder information flow. The findings emphasize the pivotal function of specific actors in transnational online networking for anti-gender movements, with broader implications for social movements’ (online) transnationalization.