A State of the Union: LGBT-Targeted Magazines and the Concept of Community

Abstract

The contemporary LGBTQ rights movement has centered largely on issues like gay marriage and, perhaps to lesser extents, military service, employment nondiscrimination, and hate crimes legislation. The visibility of these issues in the popular press has helped to create the appearance of a ubiquitous LGBTQ agenda. Covering these issues in a way that suggests that all LGBTQ persons are of a similar mindset, the press effectively nullifies the internal debates that persist about these issues among self-identified LGBTQ persons. This study examines the agenda setting effects of the popular press on LGBTQ criticism and dissent regarding those issues portrayed as most topical to the lives of LGBTQ people.