The political limits of the rights frame: The case of same-sex marriage inHawaii

This article uses public debates over same-sex marriage in Hawaii to addres s gaps in the framing perspective on social movements. Drawing on both elit e and nonelite discourses in the debates over same-sex marriage, the analys is demonstrates the dominance of the civil rights frame among supporters of same-sex marriage but finds that alternative discourses emerged among none lite actors in response to evolving political conditions. Nonelite actors i ncreasingly framed the issue as a question of tolerance and acceptance rath er than rights. Opponents of same-sex marriage explicitly rejected the righ ts frame and countered with discourses of democracy and morality. This case highlights the impact of activist frames on broader public debates, but al so the possibility of significant alternative frames that can only be disco vered through attention to nonelite discourses. The case also suggests that dominant master frames that inform the discourses of social movements may constrain the framing efforts of activists within specific issue domains.