Since its inception in the early 1950s, the LGBT rights movement has been divided over its approach to political, social, and cultural change. On the one hand, assimilations have typically embraced a rights-based perspective, working within the system to achieve incremental reforms. On the other hand, liberationists have favored more radical, cultural change from outside mainstream political channels. Your task is to evaluate the effectiveness of these two approaches in light of existing strategies. What are the strengths and limitations of LGBT activism? Can significant social change be accomplished by working inside the system? Is it possible to link the LGBT rights movement to a broader coalition for social, political, and economic change, one that is sensitive to issues of gender, race, and class? What are the obstacles in doing so? Based on the findings of your analysis, what, if any, changes need to be made to existing approaches? What are some possible ways forward? What might such changes look like in practice?
