In the United States, the movement for civil and social equality for gays and lesbians has traveled down a long and turbulent road. However, the last few years have seen accelerated progress, especially in terms of the right to marry as evidenced by public opinion and legislation. This article explores the ideographic function of the phrase “marriage equality” and related ideographs such as “family values” in the context of the same-sex marriage debate during the last presidential election cycle. The analysis indicates that opponents to same-sex marriage have attempted to reemploy the equivocal “family values” theme, while advocates were able to achieve terminological superiority in the phrase “marriage equality” by tapping into the cultural resonance of “equality.”
Key words: Keywords: Family Values, Ideograph, Marriage Equality, Same-Sex Marriage
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