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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... opponents , bystanders , and government officials . This is a task appropriate for those who examine public persuasion through rhe- torical analysis . Progay / Antigay traces how competing texts weave around and through each other in an ...
... opponents - who they are and what they want - do not exist prior to communication , but come into existence through their rhetorical acts . Our approach which stresses the rhetorical development of identity is supported by recent works ...
... opponents . But , as rhetorical critics seeking to un- derstand the symbolic acts present in progay / antigay conflict , we strive to limit ourselves to the premises that ( a ) all constructions of meaning are contingent results of ...
... opponents of a civic culture which tolerates and even celebrates lesbians and gay men . The symmetry of the contest over sexuality may arise , in part , from the similarities of oppo- nents . With respect to the United States , some ...
... opponents are merely a radical minority . The term " homo- phobe " to describe an individual who either dislikes homosexuals or op- poses gay political action can be attacked as pathologizing proper moral views , as a diagnosis without ...
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 |