| Description |
Queerness has left an indelible mark on the 21st century in social, political, and cultural ways. Drawing from the wealth of queer theory, queer activism, and queer organizational theory, I perform a rhetorical analysis on the queer organization Equality Utah, studying how it rhetorically operates and persuades a majority-Republican and religiously fervent government. I argue that queer rhetoric is a distinct field in both style and substance and that through their use of queer rhetoric, Equality Utah utilizes both queer and normative political strategies. Through an interview with the Executive Director of Equality Utah and through examination of two visual campaigns, I conclude that Equality Utah utilizes queerness in a homonormative way through common ground initiatives, universal narratives, and patriotic ideographs. Such strategies speak directly to Equality Utah's audience targeting of Republican legislature. |
