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
Results 6-10 of 87
... variant sexuality controversy , we will be concerned with the rhetorical ... issues ) , which is important to our understanding of rhetorical criti- cism ... sexual- ity , the language which advocates employ creates and limits grievances ...
... issues and actors in a given political struggle " ( Meyer & Staggenborg , 1996 , p . 1635 ) . In controversies over variant sex- uality , struggle against " the enemy " plays an important role in all aspects of collective behavior . Our ...
... variant sexu- ality initially can be organized by recognizing that ... sexuality may arise , in part , from the similarities of oppo- nents . With ... variant sexuality exercise deep mutual influ- ence over one another . Their ...
... homosexuality . The examination of gay / lesbian public policy issues begins in Chapter 1 with a description of the general public policy controversy over variant sexuality and with an overview of the emergence of conditions which pro ...
... variant sexuality issue culture . Through the process of making public claims , tra- ditionalist and progay advocates strategically construct themselves , their relationships to their antagonists , and their legitimate position in the ...
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 |