Join us for the fourth annual
Gender Justice Brunch!
Sunday, November 15, 2026
10:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
McNamara Alumni Center – Minneapolis
Join Gender Justice for our fourth annual brunch celebration on Sunday, November 15! In a year defined by the power of solidarity and connectedness, the Gender Justice Brunch will be an opportunity to gather in-community and celebrate our wins, reflect on the immense challenges of this moment, and plot a path forward — together.
The morning will start with a time to network and connect, followed by a seated brunch and a program eligible for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.
Program
From Tradwives to Tyranny: The Weaponization of Gender to Dismantle Democracy and Global Lessons on Fighting Back
From viral tradwife content and cis men trying to enter the WNBA draft, to testosterone testing in the military and talk of repealing the 19th amendment, the far-right has successfully weaponized gender to warp our culture in unexpected ways. These attacks are not isolated, random, or to be underestimated. The authoritarian movement in the United States is gaining power at an alarming rate, and their agenda has found one of its strongest footholds in gender politics.
At this year’s Gender Justice Brunch, we’ll discuss the far-right’s sophisticated gender fundamentalist agenda and their end goal of stripping away power and rights — and uplift how we can harness an inclusive gender liberation strategy to defend our democracy. We’ll hear from our speakers on global success stories of defeating authoritarianism, and reflect on our own experience during Operation Metro Surge.
Join us to explore how an international human rights framework can help us dream bigger about our collective freedom, and what lessons we can use to build and sustain power across our movements.
Speakers
Saskia Brechenmacher is a researcher and writer focused on democratic erosion, gender, and civic mobilization. She is a Senior Fellow in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she has authored multiple studies on government repression of civil society, authoritarian attacks on gender equality, and barriers to women’s equal political power. She is the co-author of Aiding Empowerment: Democracy Promotion and Gender Equality in Politics, published by Oxford University Press in 2024, and The New Global Struggle over Gender, Rights and Family Values (2025). Her analysis has been published by and cited in The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Just Security, World Politics Review, and other outlets.
Elina Castillo Jiménez is a feminist human rights lawyer and advocacy strategist working at the intersection of technology, authoritarianism, gender, and public policy. She currently leads global advocacy on digital surveillance at Amnesty International, where she works across regions to advance accountability for spyware and targeted surveillance and address emerging threats including technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Her work brings together legal analysis, policy advocacy, and movement strategy, engaging governments, international and regional human rights mechanisms, and civil society to challenge abuses and strengthen human rights protections. Her commentary has appeared in The Washington Post, and she has co-authored Amnesty International reports and contributed a chapter to Routledge’s COVID-19 and Human Rights.
Elina is particularly interested in how surveillance and emerging technologies can reinforce gendered repression and authoritarianism, and how advocates can build power and accountability in response. She is a fellow at the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center and a former Chevening Scholar at the University of Nottingham.
Míriam Juan-Torres is a multidisciplinary researcher, writer, and public speaker specializing in authoritarian populism, polarization, and human rights. She is Co-Director of Research at the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, and is currently writing a book, Weaponizing Gender, Advancing Authoritarianism. Previously, she was a senior researcher at More in Common (co-author, Hidden Tribes) and an associate professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She holds a Master’s in Global Affairs from Yale University and a law degree from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
Sponsorship and Tickets
Interested in sponsoring?
Levels start at just $600 – contact Development Director Anne Page, [email protected]
Questions about the Gender Justice Brunch, or ways to support our work?
Contact [email protected]
2026 Sponsors and Hosts
Justice Champion
Justice Partners
Nicole Moen & Michael Skoglund
Justice Defenders
Ann Tobin & David Booth
Ciresi Conlin LLP
Contreras Edin Law, PA
Crowell & Moring LLP
Darla Kashian and Samantha Grosby
Dykema Gossett
Flourish Wealth Management
Maslon LLP
Minnesota Lavender Bar Association
OutFront Minnesota
PerryUndem
Robins Kaplan LLP
ROYA llc – Relational Financial Planning
Tangelo Tree Consulting
University of Minnesota Law School
Winthrop & Weinstine
Justice Leaders
Al Gerhardstein
Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Four Stones Consulting
Hovland Rasmus & Fiebiger PLLC
Ilhan For Congress
Joni Thome
Larkin Hoffman
MacDonald Hoague & Bayless
Mitchell Hamline School of Law Office of Culture and Inclusion
O’Connell Consulting
Pamela Lampert
Queer Legislators Caucus
Reidell-Estey & Associates
Rita DeZurik
Schlesinger Kaster PLLC
Thompson Hine
Women’s March MN Action Fund
Justice Advocates
Chris Mosier
Family Tree Clinic
Imprint Legal Group
Innovative Fundraising
Jewish Community Action
Mortgages with Tina
MSP Nest Real Estate Team at Compass
National Women’s Law Center
Nichols Kaster PLLP
Pam Endean and Colleen Carey
Plume Clinic
Quorum
Reviving Sisterhood
Sandra Smalley-Fleming
Spruce Flowers & Events
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