Perception and reception: ‘anti-gender British media’ and the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021

This research focuses on the role of the British media in shaping discourse surrounding the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, focussing particularly on the dissemination of anti-gender sentiments. This study addresses how media narratives can influence social attitudes, amplify anti-gender discourse and shape perceptions of marginalised groups, particularly in relation to the trans community. With stated goals of understanding how the Hate Crime Act is being framed by the British media in public debate and determining why the media is integrating anti-gender discourse within these discussions, this research project employs Fairclough's three-dimensional model for CDA, framing analysis and a poststructuralist feminist lens to identify key strategies and motivations for shaping discourse. Ultimately, the media is evidenced to collectively employ a combination of inflammatory, divisive linguistic and discursive techniques to invoke outrage and controversy, as well as neutralising techniques and the construction of the ‘rational middle-ground’ which work to legitimise transphobic rhetoric in the public consciousness. The conclusions drawn from this indicate that the media acts as an amplifier of anti-gender discourse, contributing to the acceptance and dissemination of such in public discourse.