Discussion
The public figure analyzed in the paper is Agnese Irbe, who holds a doctoral degree in classical philology. She is a translator and the chief editor of
Telos, an online magazine of conservative thought, self-titled as “polemically educational,” which publishes mostly opinion articles and reviews, claiming the space as the only media site for conservative thinkers. In her recent book on ethics, as well as various articles and interviews, she holds a strong anti-abortion and anti-LBGTQ+ stance, drawing from classical philosophy and Christianity (particularly Catholicism). In her
written discourse and public appearance, she tirelessly seeks to revert to binary gender and sex categories based on ‘natural’ gender roles and ‘natural family’, thus blending unlikely allies of Christians, secular conservatives, right-wing activists, and centrists, proposing to speak for the silent majority. The siren metaphor in the title of this paper is symbolic and deliberate. Being aware of feminist efforts to decipher the destructive metaphors attributed to women in the ancient world, Agnese Irbe, as an expert on the ancient culture, does the opposite. She uses references from the ancient world in her critiques of liberal thought, thereby polarizing society and, through her actions, encouraging hate speech. Her siren's voice is becoming louder and dangerous, emphasizing the destructive impact of feminism and gender studies in general on natural law and conservative values, leading to the opinion that a vulnerable minority threatens the majority. The paper is part of a larger study on anti-gender mobilization in Latvia, and the project, already at its start, has provoked sharp reactions among neo-conservative, right-wing, and populist politicians, who have sought to withdraw its funding and question the competence of the researchers involved in the project.
