‘Voicing Preferences Against Gender Policing’: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Nairaland Comments on Transgenderism and Counter-transgenderism in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper critically analyzes how transgender identities are constructed and represented in Nairaland comments, with the objectives of identifying the dominant discursive constructions in Nairaland comments on transgender-related topics, analyzing the linguistic strategies used in constructing transgender identities online and examining how these discourses reflect or challenge prevailing societal ideologies in online Nigerian communities. Guided by Fairclough’s three-dimensional framework, the research investigates the interrelationship between textual features, discursive practices, and socio-cultural contexts in shaping online discourse. Data were purposively sampled from comment threads under Nairaland on transgenderism, providing a rich corpus for analysis. The findings reveal that the linguistic strategies used by commenters predominantly reproduce dominant cultural ideologies, often manifesting through derogatory labelling, stereotyping, moral framing, and appeals to tradition. These discursive patterns reflect entrenched gender norms and heteronormative worldviews while simultaneously marginalizing non-conforming identities. Still, the study also identifies instances of counter-discourse where alternative viewpoints contest mainstream narratives, thereby exposing Nairaland as a site of ideological struggle and negotiation. The study concludes that platforms like Nairaland are not merely passive spaces for sharing information but active sites of ideological contestation, where discourses on transgenderism amplify certain viewpoints while marginalizing others, reflecting the ongoing negotiation of power, identity, and ideology in Nigeria’s digital public sphere.