Mainstream Gay Rights Movement Analysis

There are two primary sectors in the fight for LGBT causes; the mainstream gay rights movement and the queer liberation movement (Brettschneider, Burgess, & Keating, 110). The mainstream gay rights movement takes an assimilationist approach to their advocacy. This means that they advocate for issues that willow allow them to be accepted into society. This is in opposition to the queer liberation movement, also known as the queer radical left, which take a liberationist approach. This means that rather than being accepted into society, they demand society make a space for them. Both of these sectors have acquired successful gains. However, the mainstream gay rights movements successes are successes of a limited scope that benefits the interests

“Queer liberation organizations represent a nuanced, complex, radical, vision of organizing that attends directly to the most marginal among queers (Brettschneider et al. 110).” There is an understanding within the radical queer left that the mainstream gay rights movement lacks. This understanding is that the privileging of a dominant group within a marginal group only creates more violence to those on the margin. This is essentially just a replication of the injustices and power imbalances that the movement is fighting against (Brettschneider et al. 110-111 ). In addition, the radical queer left demands a foundational rethinking of sexuality, sex roles, sex, gender, gender roles, the regulation of sex, and the constitutional guarantee to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (Cruikshank, 3).” With this in mind, the gay liberation movement makes a point to include these marginalized groups by taking on issues such as immigration, social service and public assistance, and criminal

However, the queer liberation movement has undeniably created a social movement culture that we can translate to our society today and are even seeing some of that translation happening now (Hobson, 2018). That being said, the future of the radical queer left is facing a dilemma; they are at odds on whether or not to guide the mainstream gay rights movement in a more left oriented direction or work with other leftist groups that are not solely queer focused. There has been some success by the queer liberation movement in steering the mainstream gay rights movement down a more radical path; the National LGBTQ Task Force (NGLTF) is now recognizing, accepting, and aiming to resolve their lack of inclusivity for bisexuals, trans persons, people of color, and queer youth (Highleyman, 2002). Yet, there has also been strong inclinations that the future of the queer liberation movement lies in partnering up with other leftist groups. We are observing radical contemporary social movements for immigrant rights, environmentalism, prison abolition, racial justice, reproductive justice, global justice, and economic justice interconnecting to form a conglomerate for collective liberation. While this budding collective liberation movement does not focus solely on queer liberation, queer liberation remains an integral part of the collective (Brettschneider et al.