Craig Rimmerman

In his article, From Identity to Politics, Craig Rimmerman analyzes gay rights movements in the United States in order to discover whether it is feasible to connect identity concerns with a liberal coalition for social, political and sex inequalities. Progressive democracy has provided some lesbian and gay rights; however, they are limited. Gay rights continue to be the focus of political efforts to promote social change through lesbian and gay movements in the United States. Rimmerman also focuses on the different ways gays and lesbians brought the AIDS epidemic to attention. Throughout their rather short history, these movements in the United States have aroused conflicts over whether to embrace the “assimilationist” strategy or the liberationist strategy that involved multiple diversity cases; specifically cases which were class-action suit. Working within the wider framework of “pluralist democracy,” the assimilationist approach is typically more open to this type of change and embraces a rights-based perspective. This perspective identifies that the American political system and the policy process coming from that system are characterized by gradual, slow change. However, the liberationist outlook favors a more natural and cultural process. Similarly, an economic system supported by liberals is laissez-faire in which the economy regulates itself naturally. What needs to be done is to look at both “assimilationist” and liberationist strategies and amplify what they have to offer. This article serves as an appropriate outline to some phases in the history of the US lesbian and gay political history. Also, this shows concepts which are necessary to the evolution of any political movement, but displays these concepts through the lesbian and gay movements. The article challenged me to understand the weaknesses and strengths of the movements, and discover why some worked and why some did not.