Lewis and the DSM

This week's reading was on the gay rights movement's struggle with the APA over the depiction of homosexuality as a mental disorder in the DSM. Within the movement, there was disagreement over how to best enact change with one group working 'within the system' to extricate homosexuality from the DSM and other groups allying themselves with others described in the DSM to protest against any psychiatric involvement at all.

This discrepancy between members of the same activist group reminds me of the different ways that environmental justice advocates attempt to create change. On the whole, EJ activists act against corporations, city and state waste organizations, and legislators at all levels. However, there's varying degrees of willingness to work within the system. I'll use Baltimore residents' fight to shut down the Wheelabrator incinerator as an example.

At one end of the spectrum is organizations such as Energy Justice Network and Clean Air Baltimore. These organizations hold meetings with DPW, talk to city government officials, create lawsuits, and attempt to change legislation. They very much work within the system. In the middle ground are groups such as South Baltimore Land Trust and Compost Collective. These groups work within the system as non-profits, but also work outside of it to bypass the city and its laws through community work and education. Lastly, there are agitator groups such as those who conducted a die-in in the path of dump trucks travelling into the incinerator grounds.

All of these groups and approaches raise the question of whether there are methods that are more effective or whether all types of activism are needed to accomplish activist goals.