The Evolution of a New Civil Rights Movement: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Same Sex Marriage News Articles from 1993 to 2008
Date
2011-08
Authors
Cochran, Kellie A.
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Abstract
Beginning with a historical decision in the Hawaii Supreme Judicial Court in 1993, the same-sex marriage movement has undergone many changes in identity formation and argument frames. By tracing these frames and arguments of the same-sex marriage debate through four major newspapers over a span of 16 years, I was able to follow religious, political, and family issues that arose within the larger movement. The findings indicate that the same-sex marriage debate changed over time for both the supports and the opponents. For opponents, arguments that began as an emphasis on traditional morality shift to arguments about religious persecution and the decline of American society. For supporters, arguments initially framed as egalitarian evolved into collective minority identity with emphasis on American principles of basic civil and human rights.
Description
Keywords
media framing, gays and the media, same-sex marriage debate
Citation
Cochran, K. A. (2011). The evolution of a new Civil Rights Movement: A qualitative content analysis of same sex marriage news articles from 1993 to 2008 (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas.