The Lesbian and Gay Movements : Assimilation or Liberation?

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 book explores this dilemma in both contemporary and historical contexts.

In doing so, it describes the sources of these conflicts, to what extent thee conflicts have been resolved, and how such conflicts might be resolved in future.

It also tackles the challenging issue of what constitutes movement" effectiveness" and how "effective" the assimilationist and liberationist strategies have been in three contentious policy arenas--the military ban, same-sex marriage, and AIDS.

The book devotes considerable attention to how policy elites (most notably Presidents, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton; Congress: the Supreme Court) have responded to the movements' grievances.

Finally considerable attention is devoted to the first tow years of the George W.

Bush presidency with an eye to assessing how shifting political opportunities have informed the broader lesbian and gay movements' strategies. The response of the Christian Right to the movements' various assimilationist and liberationist strategies will also be integrated along the way.