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The Discourse of Gay & Lesbian THE DISCOURSE OF GAY & LESBIAN ADOPTION: CONSTRUCTING THE ISSUE FOR THE PUBLIC A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Melissa G. Retano May, 2009 ABSTRACT Title: The Discourse of Gay and Lesbian Adoption: Constructing the Issue for the Public Candidate’s Name: Melissa G. Retano Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Temple University, 2009 Doctoral Advisory Committee Chair: Jan Fernback, Ph. D. This dissertation examines the public construction of gay and lesbian adoption by looking at the public discourse surrounding the issue. A discourse analysis was conducted of five print news publications and twenty interviews were conducted with participants in the issue. The goals of this research project included assessing how participants in the gay and lesbian adoption issue sought to influence its public construction, what frames they employed, how they interacted publicly with other participants, and how they constructed their identities and the identities of other participants. Other goals included assessing how the print news media covered the issue and how the participants strategized to garner media attention. The results indicate that the discourse of gay and lesbian adoption includes dominant themes, including the best interests of children, the definition of family, civil rights, and social science research. Within these themes, participants sponsor opposing frames, interacting with each other through their discursive strategies. Overall, print news coverage of the issue tended to reflect the opposing discourses of proponents and opponents of gay and lesbian adoption although more recent coverage tended to favor proponents. This dissertation contributes to the research areas of British cultural studies, social constructionism, media studies, and framing. The results have implications for those who advocate for political and social change as they indicate that proponents of gay and lesbian iii adoption are finding success through a negotiation strategy of advocating for change while upholding existing American cultural values. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation most certainly was not an individual effort as there are many people without whom this project would never have been completed. First and foremost, I must thank my husband, Jonathan, who first inspired me to further my education by enrolling in Temple’s graduate program. I must also thank Jonathan, my mother and father, and my brother for their continued support and encouragement throughout this long process. I also want to thank my son, Jake, for being an amazing source of inspiration for me everyday. I must express my gratitude to Dr. Jan Fernback for being an intelligent, kind, and patient advisor through both my coursework and the writing of this dissertation. She not only provided invaluable advice, but also talked me through some serious moments of panic and doubt. Thanks must also be expressed to the other members of my committee, Dr. Fabienne Darling-Wolf and Dr. Andy Mendelson, whose feedback seriously improved the quality of this dissertation. I would also like to thank Dr. Gary Mucciaroni, from the Department of Political Science for serving as the outside reader at my defense. Many individuals helped me during the process of conceiving this dissertation project. I need to thank Dr. Priscilla Murphy for letting me share my numerous initial ideas with her. I need to also thank Dominique Ruggieri for helping me realize what my dissertation topic should be. Lastly, this project would never have been completed if it weren’t for the support and advice offered by fellow MM&C student and Doctoral Candidate, Lydia Reeves Timmins and Rowan University faculty member, Maria Simone, Ph.D. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................ iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................v INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK & RELEVANT LITERATURE ..........................................1 Social Constructionism ........................................................................................................1 Cultural Studies ...................................................................................................................6 News Media & The Construction of Social Issues ..............................................................9 Framing ..............................................................................................................................21 News Values: Objectivity & Balance ................................................................................25 Celebrity Advocates & Spokespeople ...............................................................................27 News Coverage of Gays & Lesbians .................................................................................32 Fictional Portrayals of Gays & Lesbians ..........................................................................40 The Social Construction of Gay Adoption.........................................................................47 2. DISCOURSE, CULTURE & SOCIAL PRACTICES ..............................................................52 Contribution of Cultural Studies, Social Constructionist Critiques ...................................52 The Necessity of Both Discourse Analysis & Interviews ..................................................56 Samples & Procedures .......................................................................................................57 Research Questions ............................................................................................................65 3. PRINT COVERAGE DOMINANT THEMES & FRAMES ....................................................68 The Advocate ......................................................................................................................69 vi Christianity Today .............................................................................................................99 Time ..............................................................................................................................118 Miami Herald ................................................................................................................... 144 New York Times .............................................................................................................. 168 4. INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT RHETORIC, STRATEGIES & MEDIA ASSESSMENT.....197 Rhetoric Regarding Gay & Lesbian Adoption ................................................................198 Identity Construction .......................................................................................................237 Opinions on the Media & Reaching the Public ...............................................................256 Impact of Rosie O’Donnell .............................................................................................274 5. DISCUSSION & CONTRIBUTIONS TO THEORY .............................................................283 Answering the Research Questions .................................................................................283 Moving Forward: Contributions to Theory......................................................................310 Suggestions for Future Research .....................................................................................330 Concluding Remarks ........................................................................................................332 REFERENCES ...........................................................................................................................334 APPENDIXES A. INTERVIEW RESPONDENTS ............................................................................................354 B. INTERVIEW GUIDE ............................................................................................................360 C. NOTABLE DATES ...............................................................................................................361 vii INTRODUCTION The public perception of a complex social issue is determined by the public discourse surrounding that issue (Asen, 1996; Burr, 2003; Smith & Windes, 1997). In the United States, the primary platform for public discourse is the news media. Whether it’s politics, business, local or global issues, individuals often base their opinions, attitudes, and decisions on information provided by the news media. “For virtually all Americans, political issues are defined primarily through news reports” (Iyengar, 1990, p. 21). Considering the potential impact of news to determine the public’s perception of social issues, it is imperative to closely examine news construction. Many researchers have studied news coverage of social issues, like poverty (Iyengar, 1990), welfare (Asen, 1996; Gilens, 1999; Sotirovic, 2001), the women’s movement (Ashley & Olson, 1998), abortion (Andsager, 2000), and AIDS (Rogers, Dearing & Chang, 1991). This previous research has indicated that news coverage does in fact impact the public’s perception of an issue, that news coverage of social issues can reflect certain frames and viewpoints, and that news
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