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Selling Homosexuality to America
Regent University Law Review ^ | Spring 2002 | Paul E. Rondeau

Posted on 02/07/2004 2:26:21 PM PST by quidnunc

I. Introduction

Among America's culture wars, one of today's most intense controversies rages around the issue alternatively identified, depending on one's point of view, as "normalizing homosexuality" or "accepting gayness." The debate is truly a social-ethical-moral conceptual war that transcends both the scientific and legal, though science and law most often are the weapons of choice. The ammunition for these weapons, however, is persuasion.

This article explores how gay rights [3] activists use rhetoric, psychology, social psychology, and the media — all the elements of modern marketing — to position homosexuality in order to frame what is discussed in the public arena and how it is discussed. In essence, when it comes to homosexuality, activists want to shape "what everyone knows" and "what everyone takes for granted" even if everyone does not really know and even if it should not be taken for granted. [4]

The first strategy of persuasion is to establish a favorable climate for your message so that the communicator (marketer) can influence the future decision without even appearing to be persuading. Pratkanis and Aronson refer to this as pre-selling. [5] This is at the heart of the homosexual campaign: to get consent via social construct today to determine whose idea of personal freedoms will prevail in our legal codes tomorrow.

Part II of this article provides a brief overview of the social climate and politics that ultimately led to the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) imprimatur of homosexual behavior. The declassification of homosexuality as a disorder by the APA provides context for the propaganda war proposed by Kirk and Madsen's homosexual manifesto fifteen years later. The section ends by reviewing the main elements of the campaign including the call to specifically discredit, intimidate, and silence opponents with particular attention paid to conservative Christians.

Part III presents the connection between persuasion and democratic processes. Rhetoric, persuasive communication, propaganda, and social psychology theories are foundational to the concept of selling homosexuality as presented in this article. The purpose of this section is to provide a greater understanding of why persuasion works in order to strengthen the later discussion of how it is applied in the mass persuasion techniques evidenced in today's "gay rights"-style marketing.

Part IV moves to the "4-P's" of the traditional marketing paradigm — Product, Price, Place, and Promotion — to deconstruct and to illustrate how homosexuality is packaged and sold as a competitive product in the marketplace often through education [6] and through positive media coverage. "What is pitched is different — a product brand versus an issue — but the method is the same. In each case, the critical thing is not to let the public know how it is done," [7] states Tammy Bruce, a self-described lesbian feminist and ex-president of the Los Angles chapter of the National Organization for Women. [8]

Part V presents several real examples of how this strategy is employed in five important markets of social influence. The areas examined, which touch every citizen in America, are government, education, organized religion, the media, and the workplace.

Part VI concludes by recapping some achievements of the gay rights campaign and discussing what these may portend for their opponents and American society in the future.

-snip-

(Excerpt) Read more at regent.edu ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News
KEYWORDS: homosexual; homosexualagenda; prisoners; regentu
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To: SerotoninBlocker
Try "google"...SSRI's are pretty beneficial in searching, aren't they?

Sorry...I ain't falling into the "mental illness is the same as cancer" trap/crap.

For anyone who REALLY wants to see just a few of the absolutely ridiculous "illnesses" that are listed (and considered billable) in the DSM, make the effort to google and read about this huge sham called "medicine". Incredible the huge amounts of money spent billing insurance companies for nonsense...and the enormous amount of psychiatric drugs being pumped into people! Gives me the creeps just to think about it!
41 posted on 02/07/2004 5:53:11 PM PST by Maria S ("I will do whatever the Americans want…I saw what happened in Iraq, and I was afraid." Gaddafi, 9/03)
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To: SerotoninBlocker
AIDS is a pathology. It's an illness. It has nothing to do with sexual preference, however.

Obviously if a person is attracted to members of his/her own sex (has Same Sex Attraction Disorder) but does not act out such desires, then that person will no more likely to get AIDS than anyone else.

However, and if you are really a nurse you know this, if a person engages in anal sex, especially with a large number of partners, or oral sex ditto, especially men with men, then the odds of his getting AIDS skyrocket.

Again, why are you pretending to be dense? What is your objective in posting to this thread? And lastly, do you consider homosexual behavior to be benign or beneficial, or dangerous and unhealthy?

My questions are not rhetorical.

42 posted on 02/07/2004 5:55:05 PM PST by little jeremiah
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Comment #43 Removed by Moderator

To: SerotoninBlocker
Look, I've got issues with Gay Marriage and such, but any piece that apparently advocates for homosexuality to have remained in the DSM is a bit much for me.

The same efforts are being made with regard to crossdressing, transvestitism, transsexualism. What's your take on that?

44 posted on 02/07/2004 5:59:27 PM PST by hotpotato
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To: longtermmemmory
Homosexuality is a fetish. We do not give other fetishes special rights no matter how much psychologists say the person is "adjusted" to living with the fetish.

You may not but effort is underway already to make the same changes with regard to diagnosis regarding other fetishes.

45 posted on 02/07/2004 6:00:50 PM PST by hotpotato
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Comment #46 Removed by Moderator

To: SerotoninBlocker; All
I do believe there's a troll about to be outed.

Answer my questions while you still can, I'm waiting.

P.S. You are being very rude to freepers, I guess you mother didn't teach you to be polite to your elders.
47 posted on 02/07/2004 6:02:43 PM PST by little jeremiah
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To: SerotoninBlocker
You answer my questions first, then I'll answer yours. That's the way adults converse here.

48 posted on 02/07/2004 6:04:26 PM PST by little jeremiah
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Comment #49 Removed by Moderator

To: SerotoninBlocker
You have not answered my questions about your viewpoint on homosexuality. Since this is a thread about homosexuality, and I asked you questions first, I am wondering why you are not answering. Here are my questions, again:

What is your objective in posting to this thread?

And lastly, do you consider homosexual behavior to be benign or beneficial, or dangerous and unhealthy?

My questions are not rhetorical.


50 posted on 02/07/2004 6:09:56 PM PST by little jeremiah
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Comment #51 Removed by Moderator

To: SerotoninBlocker
Don't mind little jerry. You only need to check his postings and evaluate for yourself. You haven't been rude. Your problem is you aren't agreeing with him. You might want to consider ignoring it.
52 posted on 02/07/2004 6:11:39 PM PST by hotpotato
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To: SerotoninBlocker
I am making no false accusations, and you are being rude to others on this thread.

As far as junk science, there is a veritable wealth of information on FR about the ill effects of homosexual behavior, the environmental causes of same, and the fact that many homosexuals have quit their life of same sex attraction and behavior.

Since you are obviously supporting homosexuality (so far), it is up to you to quote and cite your references.

If you last that long.
53 posted on 02/07/2004 6:13:02 PM PST by little jeremiah
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Comment #54 Removed by Moderator

To: SerotoninBlocker
"When you use less than honest means to get your point across, it seems to me that we ought to worry about what this piece is selling as well."

I agree, but as psychology/psychiatry is neither my profession nor my forte I would appreciate it if you would illuminate for me the dishonest portions of the article. Since you have not read the entire article I will summarize the actual assertions made regarding the APA and the DSM which can be found on pages 18-20. From my reading the assertions are as follows:


55 posted on 02/07/2004 6:15:00 PM PST by Texas_Jarhead
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To: hotpotato
Thanks - I am very intolerant of people who support, under cover of neutrality, behvaior which is based upon personality disorder, and causes sickness, suffering, and often, early death.
56 posted on 02/07/2004 6:15:04 PM PST by little jeremiah
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To: SerotoninBlocker
SerotoninBlocker wrote: I have made my reason for posting to this thread more than clear. I do not fall for junk science, and that is what this piece and every other piece offered to back it up on this thread is.

This isn't junk science — or any kind of science when it comes down to it.

It's a dissertation in a law journal laying out the particulars of the homosexual community's strategy to mainstream their lifestyle.

57 posted on 02/07/2004 6:17:19 PM PST by quidnunc (Omnis Gaul delenda est)
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To: SerotoninBlocker
You will lose IQ points if you stay on this thread. Some of these folks wouldn't admit an error if they spelled their names wrong. Good luck!
58 posted on 02/07/2004 6:17:19 PM PST by breakem
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Comment #59 Removed by Moderator

To: SerotoninBlocker
I am a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

That's nice, but it doesn't qualify you to decide what should or should not go in the DSM. Homosexuality was removed in the mid-1970s for purely political reasons and even one of the proponents for removing it (Dr. Spitzer?) now admits that the condition can be "treated." If it's not a pathology, why would you want to treat it?
60 posted on 02/07/2004 6:19:55 PM PST by Antoninus (In hoc signo, vinces †)
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