International Feminist Spaces: Who Gets to Belong?
In this powerful piece, Sidhant Maharaj (He/They), an intersectional queer feminist activist, offers a critical examination of international feminist spaces and their claims of inclusivity. Drawing from personal experiences at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York and Bangkok, Sidhant exposes the systemic barriers that continue to exclude queer, non-binary, and marginalised voices from global feminist discourse.
This article is particularly timely as international organisations grapple with questions of authentic representation and meaningful inclusion. Maharaj's firsthand account of tokenistic practices and performative diversity challenges readers to think deeply about what true intersectional solidarity looks like in practice. For policymakers, activists, and researchers working in gender justice and international development, this piece offers crucial insights into the gap between institutional rhetoric and lived reality.
As an intersectional queer feminist activist, I have often grappled with the paradox of international feminist arenas that claim to be inclusive yet remain inaccessible to many of us, particularly queer and non-binary folks. These spaces, which are supposed to be global and intersectional, frequently fall short of truly embodying internationalism when they exclude or tokenise those who do not fit into narrow, privileged categories.
This year, at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, the barriers to participation were painfully clear. Many young and queer Pacific feminists could not attend due to a range of challenges—visa restrictions, lack of funding, and limited institutional support. These obstacles are not minor inconveniences; they are systemic barriers that effectively silence the voices of those who are already marginalised. If international feminist spaces are truly international, they must actively dismantle these barriers to ensure that marginalised voices from all regions are not just invited, but able to meaningfully participate.
Even when some of us do manage to attend, the experience can be isolating and tokenising. I have personally felt this, where my non-binary appearance is used for social media visibility—a quick snapshot to tick a diversity box—while in reality, it’s out of sight, out of mind. Genuine connection with other activists often feels almost impossible, as if our presence is valued more for optics than for the insights and change we bring. This performative inclusion reduces us to symbols rather than recognising the full complexity of our lived experiences.
I have also experienced tokenistic inclusion where “queer inclusion” and “diversity” are buzzwords in discussions, yet posts featuring my non-binary presence were not protected from queerphobic comments. The absence of moderation or support in these moments exposes the hollow nature of such inclusion and the risks queer activists face even within supposedly safe spaces. It is a painful reminder that visibility without protection is not inclusion.
Tokenism places an unfair burden on individuals to represent entire communities, reducing the rich complexity of our intersectional realities to simplistic narratives. It also masks the deeper structural inequalities that prevent broader participation and meaningful engagement from queer and non-binary activists worldwide. When queer and non-binary people are treated as tokens, it obscures the urgent need to address the systemic barriers that keep many of us out.
True international feminist solidarity requires more than symbolic representation. It demands dismantling the patriarchal, capitalist, and colonial systems that determine who gets to participate and whose voices are amplified. Feminist foreign policy and international cooperation must centre the lived experiences of all marginalised genders—not just cisgender women—and actively include queer and non-binary perspectives in policymaking, peacebuilding, and activism.
Queering feminist internationalism means challenging the heteronormative and cisnormative frameworks that dominate these spaces. Gender justice cannot be achieved without addressing intersecting oppressions of race, class, disability, and global inequities. We must build capacity and create accessible platforms for queer activists from the Global South and other marginalised contexts—not only those who fit a certain mould or have the privilege to participate.
This is about more than just attendance or representation. It’s about shifting power. Until international feminist spaces are truly intersectional and inclusive—where queer and non binary people are not just present but empowered to shape agendas—we cannot honestly claim to be either international or feminist. Our activism must push beyond tokenism towards transformative inclusion that respects and uplifts the full spectrum of gender identities and experiences across borders. Only then can feminism live up to its promise of justice and liberation for all.
Author: Sidhant Maharaj (he/they)
Content moderator: Brianna Delahunty