The subtle language of exclusion: Identifying the Toxic Speech of Trans-exclusionary Radical Feminists

Abstract

Toxic language can take many forms, from explicit hate speech to more subtle microaggressions. Within this space, models identifying transphobic language have largely focused on overt forms. However, a more pernicious and subtle source of transphobic comments comes in the form of statements made by Transexclusionary Radical Feminists (TERFs); these statements often appear seemingly-positive and promote women's causes and issues, while simultaneously denying the inclusion of transgender women as women. Here, we introduce two models to mitigate this antisocial behavior. The first model identifies TERF users in social media, recognizing that these users are a main source of transphobic material that enters mainstream discussion and whom other users may not desire to engage with in good faith. The second model tackles the harder task of recognizing the masked rhetoric of TERF messages and introduces a new dataset to support this task. Finally, we discuss the ethics of deploying these models to mitigate the harm of this language, arguing for a balanced approach that allows for restorative interactions.

Beyond Fish and Bicycles: Exploring the Varieties of Online Women’s Ideological Spaces

“…In June 2020, Reddit banned r/GenderCritical in response to new hate speech rules, leading to the migration of r/GenderCritical to a Redditlike platform called ovarit.com [89]. Previous research used Twitter data to build classifiers to detect TERF hate groups on Twitter [51]. Nonetheless, there has not been any large-scale, comprehensive study that analyzes and compares the more liberal, trans-inclusive side of feminism and the more radical, trans-exclusive side of feminism.…”

#RIPJKRowling: A tale of a fandom, Twitter and a haunting author who refuses to die

“…Transgender people are constant targets of toxic language on social media, however not all verbal abuse is explicit. Within transphobic groups are trans-exclusionary radical feminists who are ‘critical of the notion of gender, and position the existence of trans women as antithetical to “womenhood”’ (Lu and Jurgens, 2022). TERF groups uphold an active presence on social media sites and remain a frequent source of transphobia as their masked rhetoric is not always recognised by current hate speech detection models (Lu and Jurgens, 2022).…”

“…Within transphobic groups are trans-exclusionary radical feminists who are ‘critical of the notion of gender, and position the existence of trans women as antithetical to “womenhood”’ (Lu and Jurgens, 2022). TERF groups uphold an active presence on social media sites and remain a frequent source of transphobia as their masked rhetoric is not always recognised by current hate speech detection models (Lu and Jurgens, 2022). Because interacting with TERF individuals can be materially harmful, trans communities and allies continue to establish lists of TERF accounts to block and help trans people avoid abuse online (Lu and Jurgens, 2022).…”

“…TERF groups uphold an active presence on social media sites and remain a frequent source of transphobia as their masked rhetoric is not always recognised by current hate speech detection models (Lu and Jurgens, 2022). Because interacting with TERF individuals can be materially harmful, trans communities and allies continue to establish lists of TERF accounts to block and help trans people avoid abuse online (Lu and Jurgens, 2022). In regards to JK Rowling, the announcement that she was publishing a book with underlying transphobic messaging was made in an already precarious context of active public dissatisfaction with Rowling pertaining to highly contentious current transgender and LGBTQIA+ issues.…”

Rule 1: Remember the human. A socio-cognitive discourse study of a Reddit forum banned for promoting hate based on identity

“…Hate speech may be related to asserted superiority of the ingroup, as well as othering or asserted inferiority of the outgroup (Warner and Hirschberg, 2012). Lu and Jurgens (2022) investigate the 'hateful masked rhetoric' of gender critical discourse specifically, which they argue may appear positive, that is, in terms of promoting women's safety and rights, but is actually transphobic. They identify such rhetoric as three themes: (i) 'bad-faith arguments'; (ii) 'concerns about transgender women competing in women's sport'; and (iii) 'biological essentialist exclusion of transgender women' (Lu and Jurgens, 2022: 85).…”