James K. Wellman Jr.
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195300116
- eISBN:
- 9780199868742
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195300116.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter argues that religion and state are “isomorphic,” that is they mirror, react, and respond to each other. Each shapes group identities and each mobilizes group action and thus, they ...
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This chapter argues that religion and state are “isomorphic,” that is they mirror, react, and respond to each other. Each shapes group identities and each mobilizes group action and thus, they inevitably move in relation to each other, sometimes in tandem and sometimes antagonistically. The chapter then compares to the two groups on issues of abortion, environment, gay marriage, and the Iraq War. There is some agreement on abortion, and little or no difference on the environment. On gay marriage and the Iraq War differences are pronounced and strongly held.Less
This chapter argues that religion and state are “isomorphic,” that is they mirror, react, and respond to each other. Each shapes group identities and each mobilizes group action and thus, they inevitably move in relation to each other, sometimes in tandem and sometimes antagonistically. The chapter then compares to the two groups on issues of abortion, environment, gay marriage, and the Iraq War. There is some agreement on abortion, and little or no difference on the environment. On gay marriage and the Iraq War differences are pronounced and strongly held.
Yvonne Zylan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199735082
- eISBN:
- 9780199894802
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199735082.003.0006
- Subject:
- Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law
This chapter uses the framework developed in Chapter 3 to examine same-sex marriage. Topics discussed include same-sex marriage litigation, the nature of marriage, and how same-sex marriage ...
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This chapter uses the framework developed in Chapter 3 to examine same-sex marriage. Topics discussed include same-sex marriage litigation, the nature of marriage, and how same-sex marriage litigation strategies produce and partake of a self-governance project that not only confines unruly sexuality to binary sexual categories but also works to erase and disparage gayness itself.Less
This chapter uses the framework developed in Chapter 3 to examine same-sex marriage. Topics discussed include same-sex marriage litigation, the nature of marriage, and how same-sex marriage litigation strategies produce and partake of a self-governance project that not only confines unruly sexuality to binary sexual categories but also works to erase and disparage gayness itself.
Stephen Macedo
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691166483
- eISBN:
- 9781400865857
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691166483.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Family Law
The institution of marriage stands at a critical juncture. As gay marriage equality gains acceptance in law and public opinion, questions abound regarding marriage's future. Will same-sex marriage ...
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The institution of marriage stands at a critical juncture. As gay marriage equality gains acceptance in law and public opinion, questions abound regarding marriage's future. Will same-sex marriage lead to more radical marriage reform? Should it? Antonin Scalia and many others on the right warn of a slippery slope from same-sex marriage toward polygamy, adult incest, and the dissolution of marriage as we know it. Equally, many academics, activists, and intellectuals on the left contend that there is no place for monogamous marriage as a special status defined by law. This book demonstrates that both sides are wrong: the same principles of democratic justice that demand marriage equality for same-sex couples also lend support to monogamous marriage. The book displays the groundlessness of arguments against same-sex marriage and defends marriage as a public institution against those who would eliminate its special status or supplant it with private arrangements. Arguing that monogamy reflects and cultivates our most basic democratic values, the book opposes the legal recognition of polygamy, but agrees with progressives that public policies should do more to support nontraditional caring and caregiving relationships. Throughout, the book explores the meaning of contemporary marriage and the reasons for its fragility and its enduring significance. Casting new light on today's debates over the future of marriage, the book lays the groundwork for a stronger institution.Less
The institution of marriage stands at a critical juncture. As gay marriage equality gains acceptance in law and public opinion, questions abound regarding marriage's future. Will same-sex marriage lead to more radical marriage reform? Should it? Antonin Scalia and many others on the right warn of a slippery slope from same-sex marriage toward polygamy, adult incest, and the dissolution of marriage as we know it. Equally, many academics, activists, and intellectuals on the left contend that there is no place for monogamous marriage as a special status defined by law. This book demonstrates that both sides are wrong: the same principles of democratic justice that demand marriage equality for same-sex couples also lend support to monogamous marriage. The book displays the groundlessness of arguments against same-sex marriage and defends marriage as a public institution against those who would eliminate its special status or supplant it with private arrangements. Arguing that monogamy reflects and cultivates our most basic democratic values, the book opposes the legal recognition of polygamy, but agrees with progressives that public policies should do more to support nontraditional caring and caregiving relationships. Throughout, the book explores the meaning of contemporary marriage and the reasons for its fragility and its enduring significance. Casting new light on today's debates over the future of marriage, the book lays the groundwork for a stronger institution.
Andrew Koppelman
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300113402
- eISBN:
- 9780300135138
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300113402.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
Must a state in which gay marriage is not legal recognize such a marriage performed in another state? The Constitution does not require recognition in all cases, but it does forbid states from ...
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Must a state in which gay marriage is not legal recognize such a marriage performed in another state? The Constitution does not require recognition in all cases, but it does forbid states from nullifying family relationships based in other states, or from making themselves havens for people who are trying to escape obligations to their spouses and children. This book offers workable legal solutions to the problems that arise when gay couples cross state borders. Drawing on historical precedents in which states held radically different moral views about marriage (for example, between kin, very young individuals, and interracial couples), the author shows which state laws should govern in specific situations as gay couples travel or move from place to place. Americans are profoundly divided over same-sex marriage, and now that gay civil unions and marriages are legal in some states, the issue has become increasingly urgent.Less
Must a state in which gay marriage is not legal recognize such a marriage performed in another state? The Constitution does not require recognition in all cases, but it does forbid states from nullifying family relationships based in other states, or from making themselves havens for people who are trying to escape obligations to their spouses and children. This book offers workable legal solutions to the problems that arise when gay couples cross state borders. Drawing on historical precedents in which states held radically different moral views about marriage (for example, between kin, very young individuals, and interracial couples), the author shows which state laws should govern in specific situations as gay couples travel or move from place to place. Americans are profoundly divided over same-sex marriage, and now that gay civil unions and marriages are legal in some states, the issue has become increasingly urgent.
Joanna L. Grossman and Lawrence M. Friedman
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691149820
- eISBN:
- 9781400839773
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691149820.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Family Law
This book is a comprehensive social history of twentieth-century family law in the United States. The book shows how vast, oceanic changes in society have reshaped and reconstituted the American ...
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This book is a comprehensive social history of twentieth-century family law in the United States. The book shows how vast, oceanic changes in society have reshaped and reconstituted the American family. Women and children have gained rights and powers, and novel forms of family life have emerged. The family has more or less dissolved into a collection of independent individuals with their own wants, desires, and goals. Modern family law, as always, reflects the brute social and cultural facts of family life. The story of family law in the twentieth century is complex. This was the century that said goodbye to common-law marriage and breach-of-promise lawsuits. This was the century, too, of the sexual revolution and women's liberation, of gay rights and cohabitation. Marriage lost its powerful monopoly over legitimate sexual behavior. Couples who lived together without marriage now had certain rights. Gay marriage became legal in a handful of jurisdictions. By the end of the century, no state still prohibited same-sex behavior. Children in many states could legally have two mothers or two fathers. No-fault divorce became cheap and easy. And illegitimacy lost most of its social and legal stigma. These changes were not smooth or linear—all met with resistance and provoked a certain amount of backlash. Families took many forms, some of them new and different, and though buffeted by the winds of change, the family persisted as a central institution in society. This book tells the story of that institution, exploring the ways in which law tried to penetrate and control this most mysterious realm of personal life.Less
This book is a comprehensive social history of twentieth-century family law in the United States. The book shows how vast, oceanic changes in society have reshaped and reconstituted the American family. Women and children have gained rights and powers, and novel forms of family life have emerged. The family has more or less dissolved into a collection of independent individuals with their own wants, desires, and goals. Modern family law, as always, reflects the brute social and cultural facts of family life. The story of family law in the twentieth century is complex. This was the century that said goodbye to common-law marriage and breach-of-promise lawsuits. This was the century, too, of the sexual revolution and women's liberation, of gay rights and cohabitation. Marriage lost its powerful monopoly over legitimate sexual behavior. Couples who lived together without marriage now had certain rights. Gay marriage became legal in a handful of jurisdictions. By the end of the century, no state still prohibited same-sex behavior. Children in many states could legally have two mothers or two fathers. No-fault divorce became cheap and easy. And illegitimacy lost most of its social and legal stigma. These changes were not smooth or linear—all met with resistance and provoked a certain amount of backlash. Families took many forms, some of them new and different, and though buffeted by the winds of change, the family persisted as a central institution in society. This book tells the story of that institution, exploring the ways in which law tried to penetrate and control this most mysterious realm of personal life.
Peter Hart-Brinson
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781479800513
- eISBN:
- 9781479823949
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479800513.003.0005
- Subject:
- Sociology, Gender and Sexuality
This chapter describes the main discourses articulated by young and old cohorts to talk about gay marriage and isolates the effect of cohort on discourse. Discourses are a product of cohort and ...
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This chapter describes the main discourses articulated by young and old cohorts to talk about gay marriage and isolates the effect of cohort on discourse. Discourses are a product of cohort and ideology, such that the culture war discourses of support and opposition were produced primarily by young liberals and older conservatives. Young conservatives and older liberals produced “middle-ground” discourses that show the tension created by the polarized discourses: their ideology pushed them toward one position on gay marriage, while their age cohort pushed them toward the other. Controlled comparisons of the discourses of ideologically identical parents and children show that cohort affects discourse via the attitudes they express about lesbians and gays. This chapter shows that the dynamics of the culture war should be measured dialogically in communicative interaction, not monologically in public opinion surveys.Less
This chapter describes the main discourses articulated by young and old cohorts to talk about gay marriage and isolates the effect of cohort on discourse. Discourses are a product of cohort and ideology, such that the culture war discourses of support and opposition were produced primarily by young liberals and older conservatives. Young conservatives and older liberals produced “middle-ground” discourses that show the tension created by the polarized discourses: their ideology pushed them toward one position on gay marriage, while their age cohort pushed them toward the other. Controlled comparisons of the discourses of ideologically identical parents and children show that cohort affects discourse via the attitudes they express about lesbians and gays. This chapter shows that the dynamics of the culture war should be measured dialogically in communicative interaction, not monologically in public opinion surveys.
M. V. Lee Badgett
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814791141
- eISBN:
- 9780814739020
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814791141.003.0007
- Subject:
- Law, Family Law
This chapter examines how access to marriage might change lesbian and gay identities over time in ways that are stressful for lesbian and gay people. Drawing on interviews with gay couples from the ...
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This chapter examines how access to marriage might change lesbian and gay identities over time in ways that are stressful for lesbian and gay people. Drawing on interviews with gay couples from the Netherlands, it considers the debate over the consequences of same-sex marriage for the gay community itself. In particular, it analyzes the fears and claims of those who oppose gay marriage in order to better understand what is behind the emotions. It also explores whether marriage will lead to the end of gay culture, whether the marriage campaign will impede progress on other important political issues such as health care, and whether marriage will marginalize unmarried lesbians, gays, and bisexuals.Less
This chapter examines how access to marriage might change lesbian and gay identities over time in ways that are stressful for lesbian and gay people. Drawing on interviews with gay couples from the Netherlands, it considers the debate over the consequences of same-sex marriage for the gay community itself. In particular, it analyzes the fears and claims of those who oppose gay marriage in order to better understand what is behind the emotions. It also explores whether marriage will lead to the end of gay culture, whether the marriage campaign will impede progress on other important political issues such as health care, and whether marriage will marginalize unmarried lesbians, gays, and bisexuals.
Joanna L. Grossman and Lawrence M. Friedman
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691149820
- eISBN:
- 9781400839773
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691149820.003.0016
- Subject:
- Law, Family Law
This concluding chapter returns to the history of family law and the changes it has undergone throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Traditional morality has suffered serious defeats. ...
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This concluding chapter returns to the history of family law and the changes it has undergone throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Traditional morality has suffered serious defeats. Living in sin is no longer a sin for most people. Illegitimacy has lost its bite. Sodomy laws are history. Tough divorce laws have given way to no-fault. Gay marriage seems to be just beyond the horizon. All of this, in hindsight, has the smell of the inevitable; of course, no legal change occurred without a battle, sometimes a bitter one. Moreover, the chapter cautions against speculating on the future of family law, emphasizing that, as the history of family law shows, the future is not often as inevitable or predictable as one might think.Less
This concluding chapter returns to the history of family law and the changes it has undergone throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Traditional morality has suffered serious defeats. Living in sin is no longer a sin for most people. Illegitimacy has lost its bite. Sodomy laws are history. Tough divorce laws have given way to no-fault. Gay marriage seems to be just beyond the horizon. All of this, in hindsight, has the smell of the inevitable; of course, no legal change occurred without a battle, sometimes a bitter one. Moreover, the chapter cautions against speculating on the future of family law, emphasizing that, as the history of family law shows, the future is not often as inevitable or predictable as one might think.
Leigh Moscowitz
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038129
- eISBN:
- 9780252095382
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038129.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Gay and Lesbian Studies
This book examines how media coverage helped to define and shape the gay marriage debate as well as gay rights activism during the period 2003–2012. Through an analysis of media reports and in-depth ...
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This book examines how media coverage helped to define and shape the gay marriage debate as well as gay rights activism during the period 2003–2012. Through an analysis of media reports and in-depth interviews with leaders of the modern gay rights movement, it investigates how media frames and activist discourses evolved surrounding the issue of same-sex marriage. It looks at the aims and challenges of leading gay rights activists who sought to harness the power of mainstream news media to advocate for their cause and reform images of their community. It also considers how gay and lesbian rights groups attempted to shape coverage of the same-sex marriage debate, and what images and narratives about gay and lesbian life activists foregrounded. Finally, it discusses ways in which media attention surrounding the gay-marriage issue reshaped the structure, organization, and goals of the contemporary gay rights movement. This introduction provides an overview of the legal and political contexts of gay marriage in the United States, the rise of gay-themed media, and the research approach and plan of the book.Less
This book examines how media coverage helped to define and shape the gay marriage debate as well as gay rights activism during the period 2003–2012. Through an analysis of media reports and in-depth interviews with leaders of the modern gay rights movement, it investigates how media frames and activist discourses evolved surrounding the issue of same-sex marriage. It looks at the aims and challenges of leading gay rights activists who sought to harness the power of mainstream news media to advocate for their cause and reform images of their community. It also considers how gay and lesbian rights groups attempted to shape coverage of the same-sex marriage debate, and what images and narratives about gay and lesbian life activists foregrounded. Finally, it discusses ways in which media attention surrounding the gay-marriage issue reshaped the structure, organization, and goals of the contemporary gay rights movement. This introduction provides an overview of the legal and political contexts of gay marriage in the United States, the rise of gay-themed media, and the research approach and plan of the book.
Leigh Moscowitz
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038129
- eISBN:
- 9780252095382
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038129.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Gay and Lesbian Studies
This chapter examines how leading gay rights activists staged the issue of gay marriage for mainstream media audiences, and particularly how they developed narratives about same-sex marriage as well ...
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This chapter examines how leading gay rights activists staged the issue of gay marriage for mainstream media audiences, and particularly how they developed narratives about same-sex marriage as well as gay and lesbian life. It first puts the U.S. gay rights movement and the media in perspective before looking at the internal struggle over marriage that has been at the center of debate within the gay community. More specifically, it explores how the movement split over competing definitional strategies—whether to define marriage as a package of rights and responsibilities or as the ultimate expression of love and commitment. It also considers how activists crafted their strategies to “do battle” over marriage in the mainstream press and concludes by explaining how the gay marriage debate increased the visibility of a number of LGBT concerns, provided a space for new, “reformed” images of the community, and boosted mobilization efforts of the gay rights movement.Less
This chapter examines how leading gay rights activists staged the issue of gay marriage for mainstream media audiences, and particularly how they developed narratives about same-sex marriage as well as gay and lesbian life. It first puts the U.S. gay rights movement and the media in perspective before looking at the internal struggle over marriage that has been at the center of debate within the gay community. More specifically, it explores how the movement split over competing definitional strategies—whether to define marriage as a package of rights and responsibilities or as the ultimate expression of love and commitment. It also considers how activists crafted their strategies to “do battle” over marriage in the mainstream press and concludes by explaining how the gay marriage debate increased the visibility of a number of LGBT concerns, provided a space for new, “reformed” images of the community, and boosted mobilization efforts of the gay rights movement.
Christian Klesse
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781781381717
- eISBN:
- 9781781382288
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5949/liverpool/9781781381717.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
Christian Klesse engages with the experiences, narratives and viewpoints of British South Asian Men who participated in a study on discourses on non-monogamy in gay and bisexual male social movement ...
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Christian Klesse engages with the experiences, narratives and viewpoints of British South Asian Men who participated in a study on discourses on non-monogamy in gay and bisexual male social movement spaces (1997-2003). Focusing on British Asian gay and bisexual men’s criticism of white British lesbigay racism and cultural hegemony the chapter calls into question one-dimensional discourses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities. The analysis draws on queer diaspora perspectives and public sphere theories to understand lesbian, gay male, bisexual, transgender and queer spaces and networks as a source for a rather troubled experience of ‘multiculturalism’.Less
Christian Klesse engages with the experiences, narratives and viewpoints of British South Asian Men who participated in a study on discourses on non-monogamy in gay and bisexual male social movement spaces (1997-2003). Focusing on British Asian gay and bisexual men’s criticism of white British lesbigay racism and cultural hegemony the chapter calls into question one-dimensional discourses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities. The analysis draws on queer diaspora perspectives and public sphere theories to understand lesbian, gay male, bisexual, transgender and queer spaces and networks as a source for a rather troubled experience of ‘multiculturalism’.
Peter Hart-Brinson
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781479800513
- eISBN:
- 9781479823949
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479800513.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Gender and Sexuality
The rapid increase in public support for gay marriage in the United States between 1988 and 2015 is unprecedented in modern polling. How and why did an idea that was once nonsense become a political ...
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The rapid increase in public support for gay marriage in the United States between 1988 and 2015 is unprecedented in modern polling. How and why did an idea that was once nonsense become a political reality supported by a majority of the population in such a short period of time? This book analyzes historical data, public opinion data, and qualitative interview data to explain the role of generational change in causing the legalization of gay marriage. Despite the evidence of generational change we see all around us, social scientists have struggled to document and explain generational change thoroughly; this has allowed myths and stereotypes about generations to run amok in popular culture. This book corrects this shortcoming and explains America’s cultural revolution in attitudes about gay marriage. It argues that the rapid shift in public support for gay marriage was caused by a change in the social imagination of homosexuality. Americans coming of age during different historical periods developed understandings of homosexuality that were consistent with the cultural common sense of the era, thus making them more or less likely to support gay marriage. The story of gay marriage’s rapid ascent offers profound insights about how the continuous remaking of the population through birth and death, mixed with our shared history and culture and our individual life experiences, produces a society that is continually in flux and constantly reinventing itself anew.Less
The rapid increase in public support for gay marriage in the United States between 1988 and 2015 is unprecedented in modern polling. How and why did an idea that was once nonsense become a political reality supported by a majority of the population in such a short period of time? This book analyzes historical data, public opinion data, and qualitative interview data to explain the role of generational change in causing the legalization of gay marriage. Despite the evidence of generational change we see all around us, social scientists have struggled to document and explain generational change thoroughly; this has allowed myths and stereotypes about generations to run amok in popular culture. This book corrects this shortcoming and explains America’s cultural revolution in attitudes about gay marriage. It argues that the rapid shift in public support for gay marriage was caused by a change in the social imagination of homosexuality. Americans coming of age during different historical periods developed understandings of homosexuality that were consistent with the cultural common sense of the era, thus making them more or less likely to support gay marriage. The story of gay marriage’s rapid ascent offers profound insights about how the continuous remaking of the population through birth and death, mixed with our shared history and culture and our individual life experiences, produces a society that is continually in flux and constantly reinventing itself anew.
Andrew Koppelman
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300113402
- eISBN:
- 9780300135138
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300113402.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter examines the interests of states that have strong public policies against recognizing same-sex marriages. It discusses the two debates about same-sex marriage; attempts to separate ...
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This chapter examines the interests of states that have strong public policies against recognizing same-sex marriages. It discusses the two debates about same-sex marriage; attempts to separate normative from administrative issues in the same-sex marriage debate; and the power and limits of the racism analogy.Less
This chapter examines the interests of states that have strong public policies against recognizing same-sex marriages. It discusses the two debates about same-sex marriage; attempts to separate normative from administrative issues in the same-sex marriage debate; and the power and limits of the racism analogy.
Leigh Moscowitz
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038129
- eISBN:
- 9780252095382
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038129.003.0003
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Gay and Lesbian Studies
This chapter examines the extent of gay rights activists' success in framing the gay marriage debate and in producing their preferred images for the news media. It first describes the linguistic and ...
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This chapter examines the extent of gay rights activists' success in framing the gay marriage debate and in producing their preferred images for the news media. It first describes the linguistic and visual devices that news entities relied upon to represent gay and lesbian couples as “deserving” of marriage. It then explores how markers of gender, class, race, lifestyle, and sexuality were deployed to construct the human face of gay marriage and goes on to discuss the ways in which gay marriage ceremonies were ritualized and symbolized in news narratives. It also shows how “poster couples” selected by news producers and gay rights activists were legitimated in news narratives, but were also cast as “different” from the more “radical” community of non-married gays, relegating particular LGBT and queer identities to the margins. The chapter concludes by considering how news stories and images work together to produce new forms of gay desire.Less
This chapter examines the extent of gay rights activists' success in framing the gay marriage debate and in producing their preferred images for the news media. It first describes the linguistic and visual devices that news entities relied upon to represent gay and lesbian couples as “deserving” of marriage. It then explores how markers of gender, class, race, lifestyle, and sexuality were deployed to construct the human face of gay marriage and goes on to discuss the ways in which gay marriage ceremonies were ritualized and symbolized in news narratives. It also shows how “poster couples” selected by news producers and gay rights activists were legitimated in news narratives, but were also cast as “different” from the more “radical” community of non-married gays, relegating particular LGBT and queer identities to the margins. The chapter concludes by considering how news stories and images work together to produce new forms of gay desire.
Leigh Moscowitz
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038129
- eISBN:
- 9780252095382
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038129.003.0004
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Gay and Lesbian Studies
This chapter examines the storytelling techniques that were used by journalists to produce the gay marriage issue for prime-time news audiences in 2003–2004, including labeling, framing, sourcing, ...
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This chapter examines the storytelling techniques that were used by journalists to produce the gay marriage issue for prime-time news audiences in 2003–2004, including labeling, framing, sourcing, imagery, and graphics. It discusses the discursive strategies employed by mainstream media to create conflict in the news; how sensationalist labels and descriptive language were used in news stories to validate historic homophobic discourses; and how privileging dominant political and religious sources worked to dichotomize the debate and silence moderate perspectives. It also explores how standard journalistic frames organized the same-sex marriage debate within “official” institutions of power. The chapter argues that journalistic definitions of authority, expertise, and “balance” created an uneven playing field, often pitting gay and lesbian spokespersons against unequal sources of influence from legal, medical, religious, and political authorities. It also shows how media coverage reduced the broader gay rights agenda to a single-issue movement and rarely gave gays and lesbians—almost always shown as couples—the opportunity to offer their own perspectives on this important issue.Less
This chapter examines the storytelling techniques that were used by journalists to produce the gay marriage issue for prime-time news audiences in 2003–2004, including labeling, framing, sourcing, imagery, and graphics. It discusses the discursive strategies employed by mainstream media to create conflict in the news; how sensationalist labels and descriptive language were used in news stories to validate historic homophobic discourses; and how privileging dominant political and religious sources worked to dichotomize the debate and silence moderate perspectives. It also explores how standard journalistic frames organized the same-sex marriage debate within “official” institutions of power. The chapter argues that journalistic definitions of authority, expertise, and “balance” created an uneven playing field, often pitting gay and lesbian spokespersons against unequal sources of influence from legal, medical, religious, and political authorities. It also shows how media coverage reduced the broader gay rights agenda to a single-issue movement and rarely gave gays and lesbians—almost always shown as couples—the opportunity to offer their own perspectives on this important issue.
Leigh Moscowitz
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038129
- eISBN:
- 9780252095382
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038129.003.0005
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Gay and Lesbian Studies
This chapter examines how media narratives and activist strategies for representing gay perspectives in news discourse evolved over time. Drawing on activist interviews conducted in 2010 and 2011 as ...
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This chapter examines how media narratives and activist strategies for representing gay perspectives in news discourse evolved over time. Drawing on activist interviews conducted in 2010 and 2011 as well as sample of news stories from 2008 through 2010, the chapter considers the journalistic devices that produced dominant meanings of the gay marriage issue, including the prevalent frames, sourcing patterns, photographic and graphic images, moving images, voice-over narration, and visual representations of married couples and the LGBT community more generally. It shows that, despite an overall more favorable tone and nuanced coverage of the debate, gay rights activists struggled in dealing with journalistic frames that resorted to the “God vs. gays” argument and played the race card. Mainstream media outlets continued to look to religious leaders as “obvious” oppositional sources on gay rights, while the movent's leaders faced internal conflicts over how best to represent pro-gay perspectives in media discourse and gain support from the “moveable middle.”Less
This chapter examines how media narratives and activist strategies for representing gay perspectives in news discourse evolved over time. Drawing on activist interviews conducted in 2010 and 2011 as well as sample of news stories from 2008 through 2010, the chapter considers the journalistic devices that produced dominant meanings of the gay marriage issue, including the prevalent frames, sourcing patterns, photographic and graphic images, moving images, voice-over narration, and visual representations of married couples and the LGBT community more generally. It shows that, despite an overall more favorable tone and nuanced coverage of the debate, gay rights activists struggled in dealing with journalistic frames that resorted to the “God vs. gays” argument and played the race card. Mainstream media outlets continued to look to religious leaders as “obvious” oppositional sources on gay rights, while the movent's leaders faced internal conflicts over how best to represent pro-gay perspectives in media discourse and gain support from the “moveable middle.”
M. V. Lee Badgett
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814791141
- eISBN:
- 9780814739020
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814791141.003.0010
- Subject:
- Law, Family Law
This book has explored the debate over same-sex marriage in the United States and whether marriage as an institution would be damaged by allowing same-sex couples to marry. Drawing on the experience ...
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This book has explored the debate over same-sex marriage in the United States and whether marriage as an institution would be damaged by allowing same-sex couples to marry. Drawing on the experience of the Netherlands and other European countries, it has argued that marriage poses more of a challenge to gay people than gay people do to marriage. It has cited evidence based on the actions of same-sex couples in the Netherlands suggesting that gay people are interested in marriage for the same reasons that heterosexual couples are, such as the desire to have a child or to affirm and express their commitment to each other and to the world. It has also discussed the arguments against gay marriage as well as the positive gains that marriage can provide to gay couples, along with alternatives to marriage.Less
This book has explored the debate over same-sex marriage in the United States and whether marriage as an institution would be damaged by allowing same-sex couples to marry. Drawing on the experience of the Netherlands and other European countries, it has argued that marriage poses more of a challenge to gay people than gay people do to marriage. It has cited evidence based on the actions of same-sex couples in the Netherlands suggesting that gay people are interested in marriage for the same reasons that heterosexual couples are, such as the desire to have a child or to affirm and express their commitment to each other and to the world. It has also discussed the arguments against gay marriage as well as the positive gains that marriage can provide to gay couples, along with alternatives to marriage.
Phil Zuckerman
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199740017
- eISBN:
- 9780199918690
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199740017.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Based on in-depth interviews with two former Mormons, Cecilia and Andrew, this chapter presents the life stories of two apostates, exploring the personal reasons and circumstances behind their ...
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Based on in-depth interviews with two former Mormons, Cecilia and Andrew, this chapter presents the life stories of two apostates, exploring the personal reasons and circumstances behind their rejection of religion. While their stories are very different, they also have some matters in common. Both strongly reacted to the Mormon Church's opposition to gay marriage. Cecilia is very supportive of gay rights, and she found herself alienated from her religious milieu. Andrew is a gay man and was forced to choose between his religion and his sexuality.Less
Based on in-depth interviews with two former Mormons, Cecilia and Andrew, this chapter presents the life stories of two apostates, exploring the personal reasons and circumstances behind their rejection of religion. While their stories are very different, they also have some matters in common. Both strongly reacted to the Mormon Church's opposition to gay marriage. Cecilia is very supportive of gay rights, and she found herself alienated from her religious milieu. Andrew is a gay man and was forced to choose between his religion and his sexuality.
Leigh Moscowitz
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038129
- eISBN:
- 9780252095382
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038129.003.0006
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Gay and Lesbian Studies
This concluding chapter highlights the limits of commercial media as a route to social change and critiques the institution of marriage as a route to inclusive citizenship. It first considers how gay ...
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This concluding chapter highlights the limits of commercial media as a route to social change and critiques the institution of marriage as a route to inclusive citizenship. It first considers how gay marriage in the 2000s was interpreted as a case of trouble for “straight America,” a reflection of the larger anxieties over an institution that appears to be fragile and falling out of favor. It then examines how the same-sex marriage debate also meant trouble for gay rights activists who sought to influence news frames and images and for the LGBTQ community more generally. It argues that the images and narratives employed in both activist strategies and news media discourses may unwittingly work to stigmatize (unmarried) gays and lesbians—and especially bisexual, transgender, and queer citizens—who do not fit the “normative” mold in this new era of visibility.Less
This concluding chapter highlights the limits of commercial media as a route to social change and critiques the institution of marriage as a route to inclusive citizenship. It first considers how gay marriage in the 2000s was interpreted as a case of trouble for “straight America,” a reflection of the larger anxieties over an institution that appears to be fragile and falling out of favor. It then examines how the same-sex marriage debate also meant trouble for gay rights activists who sought to influence news frames and images and for the LGBTQ community more generally. It argues that the images and narratives employed in both activist strategies and news media discourses may unwittingly work to stigmatize (unmarried) gays and lesbians—and especially bisexual, transgender, and queer citizens—who do not fit the “normative” mold in this new era of visibility.
Gary Mucciaroni
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226544083
- eISBN:
- 9780226544106
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226544106.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
Why is it so much harder for American same-sex couples to get married than it is for them to adopt children? And why does the United States military prevent gays from serving openly even though ...
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Why is it so much harder for American same-sex couples to get married than it is for them to adopt children? And why does the United States military prevent gays from serving openly even though jurisdictions nationwide continue to render such discrimination illegal? Illuminating the conditions that engender these contradictory policies, this book explains why gay rights advocates have achieved dramatically different levels of success from one policy area to another. The first book to compare results across a wide range of gay rights struggles, this volume explores debates over laws governing military service, homosexual conduct, adoption, marriage and partner recognition, hate crimes, and civil rights. It reveals that in each area, the gay rights movement's achievements depend both on Americans' perceptions of its demands and on the political venue in which the conflict plays out. Adoption policy, for example, generally takes shape in a decentralized system of courts that enables couples to target sympathetic judges, while fights for gay marriage generally culminate in legislation or ballot referenda against which it is easier to mount opposition. Brilliantly synthesizing all the factors that contribute to each kind of outcome, this book establishes a new framework for understanding the trajectory of a movement.Less
Why is it so much harder for American same-sex couples to get married than it is for them to adopt children? And why does the United States military prevent gays from serving openly even though jurisdictions nationwide continue to render such discrimination illegal? Illuminating the conditions that engender these contradictory policies, this book explains why gay rights advocates have achieved dramatically different levels of success from one policy area to another. The first book to compare results across a wide range of gay rights struggles, this volume explores debates over laws governing military service, homosexual conduct, adoption, marriage and partner recognition, hate crimes, and civil rights. It reveals that in each area, the gay rights movement's achievements depend both on Americans' perceptions of its demands and on the political venue in which the conflict plays out. Adoption policy, for example, generally takes shape in a decentralized system of courts that enables couples to target sympathetic judges, while fights for gay marriage generally culminate in legislation or ballot referenda against which it is easier to mount opposition. Brilliantly synthesizing all the factors that contribute to each kind of outcome, this book establishes a new framework for understanding the trajectory of a movement.
