how state-based lgbt advocacy organizations define a 21st century movement while campaigning ...

267 Pages·2010·2.04 MB·English

by  Dean Mundy

THE EQUALITY AGENDA: HOW STATE-BASED LGBT ADVOCACY
ORGANIZATIONS DEFINE A 21ST CENTURY MOVEMENT WHILE
CAMPAIGNING FOR CHANGE FROM THE GROUND UP

Dean E. Mundy

A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School
of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Chapel Hill
2010

Approved By:

Lois Boynton

Anne Johnston

Barbara Friedman

Patricia Parker

Lisa Pearce
 2010
Dean E. Mundy
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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Abstract

The Equality Agenda: How state-based LGBT advocacy organizations define a 21st century
movement while campaigning for change from the ground up
(Under the direction of Dr. Lois Boynton)

Social movements provide rich sites of investigation, ideal forums through which to
examine the various communicative processes that influence the quest for social change.
Research of the gay movement has investigated these communicative processes, but often
from the perspective of national movement organizations and national discourse. Most of
the fundamental rights and protections central to the movement, however, exist at the state
level. Accordingly, this dissertation explores how state-focused LGBT advocacy
organizations organize and execute their communication strategies and examines if, how,
and the extent to which state-focused media reflect those strategies in their coverage of
issues facing the LGBT community.
Interviews with leaders from state LGBT advocacy organizations in Massachusetts,
Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Iowa, and Washington (state), and an interview with
the executive director of the national federation of state-based LGBT advocacy
organizations, provide important insight regarding 21st century LGBT advocacy and the
crucial role of the state lens in the gay movement. State organizations currently campaign for
inclusive laws around four core policy areas: non-discrimination, hate crimes, safe schools,
and relationship recognition. Their philosophy posits that change occurs from the ground
up; substantive change at the state and national level first requires a critical mass of support
in local communities. By using LGBT citizens and allies as community spokespersons, and
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communicating authentic, personal stories of the LGBT experience, state-based LGBT
advocates establish a constant and consistent drumbeat of messaging—with a variety of
stakeholders—that reinforces LGBT issues as mainstream concerns.
The interview findings provided a benchmark from which to analyze state-focused
print media coverage of the LGBT community. Coverage supported participant comments
regarding the challenges and opportunities they experience working with the media. Media
sometimes use inappropriate terminology and juxtapose inappropriate counterpoints, but
they present the personal, authentic LGBT story and the positive, inclusive messages of
equality as communicated by organizational spokespersons. Media also capitalize on
opportunities to present the more radical voice, which often appears in the form of an anti-
LGBT counterpoint. Most importantly, the content analysis reinforced the merit of
communication strategies focused on change from the ground up, not the top down.

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Acknowledgements
Anyone who knows me knows my love for the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. I pursued my Bachelor’s, Master’s, and now Ph.D. degrees at UNC, at different
times, for different reasons, and in different capacities. At each point, Carolina revealed for
me new worlds and possibilities that I never imagined, and my Carolina education continues
to shape who I am as an individual and a scholar. My life will always be connected intimately
to this great university, and for that I am eternally humbled and grateful.
I am especially grateful for the support and generosity of UNC’s School of
Journalism and Mass Communication. First, I would like to thank the Triad Foundation for
its generous support through the Roy H. Park Fellowship, which funded my graduate
education and provided research opportunities that would not have been possible elsewhere.
I am also thankful for the Walter Francis Clingman Jr. Ethics Award, Jim D’Aleo Award of
Courage, and the Carol Reuss Public Relations Award. Each award has supported my
research in different ways and reinforced the School’s belief in my scholarship.
I am especially appreciative for the help (and patience) of my dissertation committee.
First, it would take the length of a dissertation to outline the contributions of my friend,
teacher, adviser, and dissertation chair, Lois Boynton. More than anyone, she has shaped
who I am as a scholar and teacher. There have been numerous occasions—watching her
teach, reading through her suggested edits for my work, speaking with colleagues—where I
simply have said to myself, “Damn, she’s good.” I am most humbled, however, by her
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humanity. As I enter academia, if I can carry with me just a fraction of her selflessness, then
I will consider myself a success.
I am also grateful to my wonderful committee members who tolerated multiple
emails with the subject line, “Quick Question,” which actually prefaced a three-volume set
regarding my dissertation. Anne Johnston introduced me to wonderful world of media
framing and taught me how to drill down to the important questions that comprise good
research. Barbara Friedman instilled in me a sincere interest in media history and the
importance of examining the past in order to understand the present. Pat Parker is one of
the main reasons I decided to pursue my Ph.D. Her enthusiasm for my work and her ability
to make intriguing connections between different areas of communication scholarship have
influenced how I approach research and who I want to become as a scholar. Lisa Pearce
broadened my perspective in important ways that were crucial for this dissertation and my
future research agenda. Her research, and her role on my committee, demonstrates the
importance and potential for cross-disciplinary investigation.
As I write these acknowledgements, my grandmother, Rita P. Mundy, is one month
away from celebrating her 104th birthday. And I can’t help but think about the role my two
grandmothers played in getting me to this point. In her youth, my Grandma Mundy left
Mexico with her family for the United States. She raised two sons as a single mother in El
Paso, Texas while commuting daily to her job at the White Sands Missile Range in New
Mexico. My mother was nine years old when her father died, leaving my Grandma Greene to
raise three girls on a farm in eastern North Carolina. My grandmothers did what they did for
the future of the family, not for themselves. And they did so regardless of circumstance. I
would not be here without their sacrifices.
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My grandmothers passed this ethic to my parents. My parents worked in order for
my brother and I to have the best education possible, to be exposed to things they never
were, and to have opportunities they never had. Their relationship, and their devotion to me,
reflects the very definition of unconditional love. I am unable to express in words my
gratitude for their love and my wonderful life; all I can do is dedicate this dissertation to
them. Similarly, my brother has been at my side, without question, without asking anything
in return, at each step. He is my hero in so many ways. I hope he knows how much I
appreciate and admire who he his, and his role in getting me to this point.
Many things have amazed me during this process, but none so much as my
relationship with Tim Williams. We are, in all things, partners. Tim has been by my side from
day one, supporting and loving me. He is my inspiration, and I thank God every day that I
am on this journey with him.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………………x
LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………….....xi
LIST OF MODELS………………………………………………………………………xii
Chapter
I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND………………………………….1
Historical Context...…………………………………………………………...10
Current Issues..………………………………………………………………..13
Marriage………………………………………………………………………15
II. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK…………………………………………….20
Social Movements / Social Change……………………………………………20
Public Relations……………………………………………………………….35
Framing……………………………………………………………………….51
Research Questions…………………………………………………………....69
III. METHODS…………………………………………………………………....72
In-depth Interviews………………………………………………………........75
Media Content Analysis……………………………………………………….83
My Lens………………………………………………………………………91
IV: THE EQUALITY AGENDA………………………………………………..94
Part I: Defining the Equality Agenda…………………………………………95
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Part II: Challenging the Equality Agenda…………………………………….152
Part III: Reflecting the Equality Agenda……………………………………..170
V: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION……………………………………….195
Defining the Equality Agenda: Answering RQ1 and summary of findings…...196
Public Relations and Media Framing: RQ2…………………………………..201
Contributions to social movement literature: RQ3…………………………..217
Queer theory, identity, and the Equality agenda: RQ3……………………….224
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..228
APPENDICES………………………………………………………………………….232
REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………238

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LIST OF TABLES
Table
1. Key issue addressed by each participant organization in 2008-2009……………..86
2. Breakdown of articles pulled from Lexis Nexis…………………………………88
3. Participants and Organizations Represented……………………………………96
4. Publications represented per state……….…………………………………….172

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