Palavras que ferem, palavras que curam: o discurso de ódio no prisma do feminismo e da pornografia como tensão entre censura, liberdade e democracia

Abstract

Hate speech stands as one of the central themes in contemporary debates on the limits and protection of freedom of expression. It manifests as a form of communication directed at minority groups, marked by the intention to humiliate and dehumanize them based on identity characteristics. From this perspective, this thesis examines the tension between freedom of expression, censorship, and hate speech through the lenses of feminism and the philosophy of language. The main objective is to determine whether censorship — particularly in the fields of pornography and the protection of women — can serve as a legitimate instrument for promoting equality or whether it reproduces the same silencing gesture it aims to prevent. The research traverses radical feminist thought, post-structuralist theory, and the philosophy of language, analyzing the performative function of discourse and its political implications. Drawing on speech act theory and the notion of performativity, it investigates whether pornography effectively silences women by relegating them to inequality, or whether the feminist movement itself, by strengthening women's voices, can contribute to gender equality without resorting to speech restriction. The methodology combines hermeneutic analysis, legal reasoning, and the philosophy of language, articulating concepts such as performativity, power, and listening. As an alternative to censorship, the study proposes symbolic listening and counter-speech, understood as ethical and political practices for confronting hate speech. It concludes that freedom of expression, when supported by active and reflective listening, constitutes not only a fundamental right but also a path toward education in equality and the democratic reconstruction of language.