Historically, social justice movements have often clashed with conservative movements, which are predominantly led by cisgender heterosexual males. It is expected that social justice movements would be predominantly led by women and other gender and sexual minorities, given their larger representation in these movements. However, this is not the case when it comes to green movements, where cisgender heterosexual white males are overrepresented in leadership positions. For example, in the animal rights/vegan movement, individuals like Ed Winters, Joey Armstrong, Paul Bashir, and Ryuji Chua have gained significant mainstream recognition despite the movement being only 20% male. This observation is intriguing because green movements are often associated with feminine values like care, conservation, and empathy, which contradict traditional masculine values of aggression and dominance.

Our study aims to answer key questions such as the role of identity in social activism, the inclusivity of activist spaces, and whether members experience discrimination within these spaces. Additionally, we aim to understand participants' perceptions of leadership in activism and investigate if gender influences their knowledge of prominent figures within their activist community. our study utilizes a mixed-methods approach to investigate the role of gender in social activism. Through surveys and interviews, we aim to gain insights into participation, visibility, inclusivity, discrimination, and leadership perceptions within activist spaces, with a specific focus on environmental activism.