Separation of social movements?

In the novel/text Stonewall, Martin Duberman sketches the lives of six people and their journey in establishing an LGBT identity as well as their various involvements with the LGBT community. Through the very different lives and experiences of Craig, Jim, Foster, Yvonne, Karla and Jay/Sylvia, the readers (or at least I do), undoubtedly find some aspect to identify with…which makes the reading much more novelesque as opposed to strictly history- textbook like. This mixture of narrative and fact is so refreshing since voices are actually provided and there is a subjectivity-which is more often than not, excluded from the reporting of historical events.

Should social movements be separated?
One aspect of the narratives in Duberman’s Stonewall that I found particularly interesting was the idea that the homophile movement should be a separate entity from other movements including the feminist movements. Throughout the course of Karla, Craig and Foster’s narratives in the mid –late sixties, we see the different perspectives of the time regarding the two being reflected in the narratives. We learn from Karla’s narrative, that women were still seen as secondary players not only in the homophile movement but also in any semi-political movement of the time. We also learn through Foster’s narrative, that he first believed that the homophile and feminist movements should be separated because of the belief that separate agendas will be pursued. And, indirectly through Craig’s narrative, we get a greater sense of women in general and their role in specifically the homophile movement. Take for example, that in Craig’s bookstore, the literature was predominantly male oriented…this makes me wonder whether this is just a result of women not actively participating in the homophile movement (and if so, why the lack of participation?) Or can it actually be attributed to some other reason?
In general, from reading the narratives, I was left with the question of whether social movements-whether they be homophile, feminist and even civil rights should in fact be separated? What happens when people can identify with more than one movement at once? Like we see with Karla, who identifies as a lesbian but is still separated because she is a woman. Can we actually assume that one political agenda is more important than another without causing a huge rift and affecting the entire networking system (which is crucial in maintaining social movements)? Basically, to what extent should the line be drawn in social movements and in the pursuit of an agenda?