Centering the Right: Mapping the Queer Discourse of the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family

Abstract

Religious Right organizations like Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council have been known for their vitriolic discourse when it comes to the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) community. The ways in which they have discussed queer rights have characterized the LGB community as especially sinful and a threat to American society. Specifically targeting Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council, this paper looks at rhetorical strategies they have used when discussing gay rights. The paper identifies a significant shift in their discursive practices such that recently the LGB community is portrayed in a more sympathetic light, though still as problematic. The purpose of this paper is to map the rhetorical moves that Focus on the Family has employed over the years in order to better understand the Religious Right’s rhetorical strategies regarding the LGB community

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