The Lesbian and Gay Movements by Craig A. Rimmerman

Throughout their relatively short history, the lesbian and gay movements in the United States have endured searing conflicts over whether to embrace assimilationist or liberationist strategies. This concise new text explores this dilemma in both contemporary and historical contexts. Author Craig A. Rimmerman tackles the challenging issue of what constitutes movement 'effectiveness' and how 'effective' assimilationist and liberationist strategies have been in three contentious policy arenas: the military ban, same-sex marriage, and AIDS. Considerable attention is devoted to how policy elites--most notably Presidents Reagan, Bush, and Clinton; Congress; and the Supreme Court--have responded to the movements' grievances. The book examines the George W. Bush presidency with an eye to assessing how political opportunities have informed the broader lesbian and gay movements' strategies, and also details the response of the Christian Right to the movements' various assimilationist and liberationist strategies.