Within anti-trans discourse that assumes the voice of reason and science, one frequently finds imagery inciting a visceral affect of revulsion, which drives and reinforces a narrative of threat.

In this GB News footage below on the case of Lia Thomas, one finds an academic voice of reason and science interpolated with (from GB News) visceral imagery fuelling the idea that some men present as women to take unfair advantage of women. Both actors confidently assert that there is no transphobia here, since (the argument proceeds) dangerous men who identify as women can simply stay in their natural place amongst men.

The imagery used in this footage is specifically intended to expose ‘a man’ masquerading as ‘a woman’ – its visceral effect and affect is to gender sex and to incite a revulsion at the ‘unnaturalness’ and out-of-placeness of trans existence. The discourse of this footage pivots on the idea of the threatening and harmful Other, which the voices of reason, science and plain common sense must fight against.

Viscerality, of course, has always had an ideological role in racism and homophobia. And racism has always been fused with ideas of the racialised Other as sexually deviant, perverted and threatening. It comes as no surprise then to see viscerality in transphobia, and its peak affect in the more recent case of Imane Khelif.

The viscerality of disgust serves as a powerful tool in the recruitment of people to anti-trans ideology. It is also a powerful, pre-cognitive base to anti-trans ideas on nature and sex.