Transgender stigma

This study analyzes the discursive construction of transgender stigma in depictions of transgender people by the Peruvian press. It provides an important theoretical advancement establishing the press’ disapproving language actions (DLAs) as the nexus between social control and stigma. It connects sociolinguistics, speech act theory, media studies, and transgender research, leveraging the value of prior research informing the speech action of disapproving . It shows stigma operates as a collective, constitutive, and reproducible effect in public discourse through language mechanisms of implication-inference, prioritization of heteronorms, and repetition of negative and polarizing social meanings. Data triangulation combining Hymesian ethnography with quantitative analysis enhances study credibility and validity. Six detailed analytic steps are described in the qualitative component to encourage study replicability. This study identifies linguistic mechanisms for interventions, offers evidence for more inclusive media policies, aligns with current trends in the literature highlighting the need for speech act analysis in artificial intelligence.