Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Social Problems

Publication Date

10-1984

First Page

72

Last Page

86

Issue Number

1

Volume Number

32

Abstract/ Summary

This paper examines public opinion and media coverage surrounding four important events which affected the development of homosexual rights in Maine in the 1970s: the birth of a homosexual student group on a University of Maine campus and the conference it organized; the adoption of a gay rights plank in the election platform of the state's Democratic Party; revisions to the state's criminal code which decriminalized homosexual activities; and a second conference organized by the student group. Only the first event aroused major public outcry. We describe these events in detail, examine how the media covered them, and analyze why some were more controversial than others. Our analysis shows how differing levels of control over the media affect the rise and resolution of public issues.

Citation/Publisher Attribution

Cohn, S., & Gallagher, J. (1984). Gay Movements and Legal Change: Some Aspects of the Dynamics of a Social Problem. Social Problems, 32(1), 72-86. doi:10.2307/800263

Publisher Statement

©1984 Social Problems

DOI

10.2307/800263

Version

publisher's version of the published document

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Rights Statement

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted.