Wasted Sperms, Lost Ovaries: Linguistic Opposition and Reception of Cross-Dressing in the Nigerian Social Media Space
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The representations and receptions of gender and sexuality borderline-crossing actions, such as cross-dressing, or homosexuality and homosexual narratives, have always sparked negative reactions among Nigerians in real-life or digital spaces. This paper approaches the discourse from another perspective by paying attention to the ‘minorities within a minority,’ which are MtF cross-dressers. We examined public engagements and reactions to a video of one of Nigeria’s famous cross-dressers and self-proclaimed drag queen, James Brown, which was posted on a Facebook platform. We sampled 20 of the comments to examine the perspectives of Nigerians concerning MtF cross-dressing. Through the comments, we examined how opposition to MtF cross-dressing is communicated through various linguistic tropes or markers by the commenters, using Critical Discourse Analysis as a framework. The reception of Mtf cross-dressing in Nigeria is negative, and in line with the findings of previous studies, Nigerians draw upon culture, religion, and standards of sanctity to substantiate their opposition against cross-dressing.
Institutions: The University of Queensland, Federal University Oye Ekiti
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7126400849