ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses how the assimilationist and liberationist approaches have been integral to the lesbian and gay movements'. It explores this dilemma in both contemporary and historical contexts within a broader social-movement theoretical setting. The lesbian and gay movements certainly meet the criteria for an existing social movement. Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people have persistently occupied a place at the margins of society. The book examines how well the lesbian and gay movements have done so by studying the intersection between the assimilationist and liberationist strategies over time. It provides the development of the lesbian and gay movements within their proper historical context. The book explores the tensions between those activists who embraced an insider assimilationist strategy and those who demanded an outsider liberationist strategy to political and social change, as reflected in broader movements' responses to public AIDS policy.
