Progay/Antigay: The Rhetorical War Over SexualityCombining humanistic rhetorical criticism with social scientific concepts, Ralph R. Smith and Russel R. Windes examine how the discourse of the progay/antigay debate shapes the self-understanding and strategies of the two opposing sides. The struggle over issues such as lesbians and gay men serving openly in the military, same-sex marriage, and inclusion of "sexual orientation" in anti-discrimination and hate crime laws have evolved along with the development of rival progay and traditionalist antigay communities. In the process of presenting their arguments to the wider society, the two sides exercise extraordinary influence on each other. As a result of the public policy debates, the progay movement has moved toward an essentialist, non-sexual identity, while the traditionalists have shifted toward a secular public self-representation. Progay/Antigay also analyzes the internal disagreements within the two movements. The same-sex marriage debate illustrates important dimensions of the contest over sexuality. The authors examine rhetorical strategy and counter-strategy in this specific institutional context. Progay/Antigay also discusses how the study of the variant sexuality issue provides the opportunity to assess paths for reconciliation and to judge concepts of political pluralism and multiculturalism. |
From inside the book
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... Appeals in Progay and Traditionalist Discourses 57 4. Antagonistic Construction of Identity and Conflict 93 5. Debate Within Communities 127 6. Same - Sex Marriage : A Case Study 155 7. Criticism of the Variant Sexuality Issue Culture ...
... appeals which are generated by interaction among adversaries ; ( c ) the extraordinary influence which opponents exercise on each other ; ( d ) divisions produced by this influence among advocates allied in general purpose but not ...
... . Several rhetorical critics have explained how opponents in public con- troversy constrain one another's strategic choices and persuasive appeals . Rhetorical critic Jeff Bass ( 1991 ) suggests that reactionary Introduction xvii.
... appeals far beyond an invitation to engage in a game of rhetorical one - upmanship " ( p . 427 ) . Rhetorical critic Charles Taylor ( 1992 ) emphasizes the " dialogic " relationship between advocates of creationism and evolution ...
... appeals which surface in different combinations in most pub- lic policy disputes about homosexuality . The generative premise for these appeals is that there is a link between private behavior Introduction xix.
Contents
1 | |
Chapter 2 Analysis of Communication in Contests Over Variant Sexuality | 35 |
Chapter 3 Appeals in Progay and Traditionalist Discourses | 57 |
Chapter 4 Antagonistic Construction of Identity and Conflict | 93 |
Chapter 5 Debate Within Communities | 127 |
A Case Study | 155 |
Chapter 7 Criticism of the Variant Sexuality Issue Culture | 181 |
References | 203 |
Index | 227 |
About the Authors | 239 |