Semantics of contempt in the discourses of trans-exclusionary radical feminism.

Abstract

This critical analysis of the semantics of contempt toward trans women in the discourses of Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminism (TERF) is based on an ethical commitment to recognition justice and transinclusive sisterhood. Niklas Luhmann's social systems theory is used to understand how functional systems—political, legal, religious, educational, and media—operate with communicative closures that normalize the exclusion of trans women. An argumentative and affective analysis of TERF discourse is conducted, identifying transphobic tropes, moralizing semantics, and rhetorical structures that reinforce the symbolic exclusion of trans women. It is recommended that the codes of the semantics of contempt be subverted, and transformative counter-semantics be designed that recognize the complexity and dignity of trans identities.