The lavender scare was a moral panic about homosexual people in the united states. A queer history of the united states revisioning history book 1. The cold war persecution of gays and lesbians in the. The homosexuals were sometimes referred to as lavender lads, and when author david k. Frank kameny leads a picket line in front of independence hall in philadelphia on july 4, 1965. It was the subject of a 2017 documentary, and a key element of a 2007 novel, fellow travelers, which. The lavender scare made being publicly lgbt difficult. Feb 17, 2005 the lavender scare but as the political crusade took off, mccarthy was nowhere to be seen. Gay men and lesbians were said to be national security risks and communist sympathizers.
Jan 18, 2012 the lavender scare grew from the mccarthy persecutions of the 1950s, but johnson argues that its policies lasted far longer and became more institutionalized than the anticommunist hysteria. Finally, explain the impact of the lavender scare on the later gay rights movement. The lavender scare refers to a witch hunt and the mass firings of homosexual people in the 1950s from the united states government. The name refers to the red flags that the communists used. The call to remove gay men and lesbian women from government employment was based on the. Readings and films the united states in the nuclear age.
May 21, 2019 most americans of a certain age are familiar with the red scare of the 50s and senator joseph r. In this book, johnson concludes that the lavender scare, as it became routinized in the bureaucracy of the national security state, outlasted its more wellknown cousin, the red scare. A new opera illuminates the lavender scare, a little. The lavender scare chronicles antigay purges of the 1950s. The lavender scare was a moral panic about homosexual people in the united states government and their mass dismissal from government service. The lavender scare shatters the myth that homosexuality has only recently become a national political issue, changing the way we think about both the mccarthy era and the origins of the. The lavender scare was a time beginning in the late 1940s and continuing through the 1960s when thousands of suspected homosexuals were fired from the state department, reports. He demonstrates how, in the language of the 1950s, security risk became a virtual code word for homosexual. The lavender scare, directed by josh howard and narrated by glenn close, is a documentary film that recounts the events of the lavender scare. Although not a wellknown period in history, the lavender scare has had a cultural afterlife. The lavender scare but as the political crusade took off, mccarthy was nowhere to be seen.
This work will take its place beside those of george chauncey and allen berube, and every serious student of 20th c. Other inhouse program category film staff contact janie hermann summary this documentary chronicles the littleknown story of how tens of thousands of homosexual workers were identified and fired by the federal government during the 1950s, stirring outrage in the gay community and starting an lgbtq rights movement with an unlikely hero at the forefront. Deceptive cadence fellow travelers is based on thomas mallons historical novel of the same name. Senate, rg 46 the red scare, the congressional witchhunt. As i said aboveand as johnson describes in great detail in the bookunderstanding the lavender scare is essential not only to comprehending the nature of anticommunism in the 1950s. May 21, 2019 most americans of a certain age are familiar with the red scare of the 50s and. The lavender scare, entrapment, policing of homosexuals, and linking of homosexuality to communism made any nonnormative sexual behavior extremely dangerous. Homosexuals at the state department in the 1950s and 60s, security within the u. Not so very long ago, lgbtq people had no specified protections in any areas of their lives. The documentary, the lavender scare, captures a time in america when gay men and lesbians were harassed, humiliated, and hounded from their jobs in the name of national security. And perhaps just as importantly, this book is a cautionary tale, reminding us of how acts taken by the government in the name of national. Lasting from roughly 1947 to 1961, the lavender scare happened in conjunction with the red scare, the 1950s congressional witch hunt against communists spearheaded by sen. Jun 18, 2016 a new opera illuminates the lavender scare, a littleexplored era in gay history.
But it is something you should know about, which is why director josh howard began production on the lavender scare, a documentary based on dr. To help with funding, josh howard created a kickstarter that met its goal in donations. Lavender scare, eisenhower, and executive order 10450. His first book, the lavender scare was made into a documentary film that garnered best documentary awards at over a dozen film festival. It was the subject of a 2017 documentary, and a key element of a 2007 novel, fellow.
The book drew its title from the term lavender lads, used repeatedly by senator. The climate of fear and repression linked to the red scare finally began to ease by the late 1950s. The cold war persecution of gays and lesbians in the federal government, david k. State department apologizes for the lavender scare. Oct 10, 2019 the periodconsidered as targeted and as widespread as the concurrent red scareis now known as the lavender scare. Though he was a member of the congressional com mit tee that spent several months examining the homosexualsingovernment issue, mccarthy mys teriously recused himself from those hearings, johnson notes. C onversely, the lavender scare did much to galvanize the homosexual community. The firing of thousands of federal workers in the 1950s stirred outrage in the gay community. Although homosexuals were largely closeted before the lavender scare, being publicly lgbt during the 1950s was largely challenging and near impossible without staggeringly high consequences. Lavender scare director on very real tragedy windy city times. But while the red scare has been far more extensively documented, the lavender scare, according to the u. People remember the persecution that those who were suspected of being affiliated with the communist party faced. Jun, 2018 lasting from roughly 1947 to 1961, the lavender scare happened in conjunction with the red scare, the 1950s congressional witch hunt against communists spearheaded by sen. The cold war persecution of gays and lesbians in the federal government.
In this book, david johnson argues that a parallel lavender scare permeated. Eisenhower signed an executive order that banned gays and. This gay witch hunt grew out of the postworld war ii red scare and its subsequent mccarthyism era campaign to purge communists from the government. The lavender scare refers to the identification and mass firings of thousands of homosexual people from the u. In 1950, the same year that senator joseph mccarthy claimed 205. Johnson published a book about this historical period in 2004 he dubbed it the lavender scare.
The lavender scares first two chapters lay out the books premise and. Recent events in 1995, president clinton officially rescinded the. How physique entrepreneurs sparked a movement, chronicles the rise of a gay commercial network in the 1950s and 1960s. Describe the red scare and the lavender scare in the context of the cold war.
The lavender scare shatters the myth that homosexuality has only recently become a national political issue, changing the way we think about both the mccarthy era and the origins of the gay rights. Lgbt literature is a readers and book lovers series dedicated to. Mccarthyism, the lavender scare, and the fight for full lgbt. Oct 25, 2015 as i said aboveand as johnson describes in great detail in the bookunderstanding the lavender scare is essential not only to comprehending the nature of anticommunism in the 1950s. The periodconsidered as targeted and as widespread as the concurrent red scareis now known as the lavender scare. These people are frightened to death national archives. The lavender scare, rather, is a work of consummate historical research and writing. Congressional investigations and the lavender scare summer 2016, vol. Oct 15, 2016 mccarthyism, the lavender scare, and the fight for full lgbt equality. The lavender scare shatters the myth that homosexuality has only recently become a national political issue, changing the way we think about both the mccarthy era and the origins of the gay rights movement.
The enduring contribution of the book is that it shows how the mccarthy era had much less to do with the communist threat and much more to do with homosexuality and moral panic than we could have possibly imagined. Windy city times news archive lavender scare director on very real tragedy in 1953, in the midst of the cold war, president dwight d. The documentary, the lavender scare, chronicles the antigay purges of the 1950s. One of the aftereffects of the second world war was how it affected lesbian life in the 1950s, making it more structured and giving the. Between the late 1940s and early 1960s, an unknown number of. Johnson university of chicago interview with david k. This documentary chronicles the littleknown story of how homosexual workers were identified and fired by the federal government beginning in the 1950s, stirring outrage in the gay community and starting. It contributed to and paralleled the anticommunist. The two books are complements in that the lavender scare. The cold war persecution of gays and lesbians in the federal government is a heartwrenching reminder that homosexuals faced brutal employment. In 1950, the mattachine society became the second gay rights organization in the countrys history, and. The lavender scare had its origins in the antiqueer campaigns begun in the military immediately after wwii, and in an anticruising campaign begun in. Over 10,000 gay and lesbian employees were forced out of their jobs during the 1950s and 60s as a result of the lavender scare. Though he was a member of the congressional com mit tee that spent several months.
State department fired 91 employees because they were homosexual or suspected of being homosexual. Winner of three book awards, the lavender scare masterfully traces the. Red scares, lavender scares, and the quest for equality. Johnson university of chicago press, in trade paperback and ebook.
Johnson is part of the project, as the film is based on his book. Aug 9, 2018 the lavender scare refers to a witch hunt and the mass firings of homosexual people in the 1950s from the united states government. Johnson gave the period a name in his book, the lavender scare. Place the importance of the integration of the military and brown v. Lavender scare dimension of the red scare of the 1950s that targeted the homosexual community as loyalty and because of their perceived lack of morality and security risks because communist influences could use blackmailing threats of exposing closeted homosexuals for american intelligence. In 1950, the mattachine society became the second gay rights organization in the countrys history, and along with the daughters of bilitis established a refuge and an underground culture for gays and lesbians. Dec 02, 2019 the lavender scare an interview with david k. Mar 12, 2020 the lavender scare is a very readable and valuable work that clarifies the relationship between the cold war and national security interests, and those victimized by the need to preserve said security. Site staff january 7, 2019 current digital, lgbt the lavender scare screens jan. The historian covers in detail one period of lgbt history that has been all but lost, yet, it was important in driving the events presented in making gay history far more than the. Johnson shows what he says other historians have ignored, that other politicians picked up the issue and were successful in using in it.
Mccarthys exploitation of our nations fear of communismyet, few are familiar with an equally ugly purge of government employees. Jan 22, 2019 although not a wellknown period in history, the lavender scare has had a cultural afterlife. The cold war persecution of gays and lesbians in the federal government by david k. The lavender scare grew from the mccarthy persecutions of the 1950s, but johnson argues that its policies lasted far longer and became more institutionalized than the anticommunist. Explain why the government feared that leftists and homosexuals threatened the security of the nation. In the summer of 1950, a committee of the us senate investigated the. Jan 07, 2020 sterling watsons new novel, the committee, transmutes lavender scare investigators ruthless assaults on suspected homosexuals in 1950s gainesville into heartracing fiction thats every bit as spellbinding as watsons noir masterpiece suitcase city. Persecution of lesbianism during the cold war jessica toops the cold war era of the 1950s is often connected with the red scare and the idea that the spread of communism must be stopped no matter the cost. Sterling watsons new novel, the committee, transmutes lavender scare investigators ruthless assaults on suspected homosexuals in 1950s gainesville into heartracing fiction thats every. Persecution of lesbianism during the cold war jessica toops the cold war era of the 1950s is often connected with the red scare and the idea that the spread of communism must.
A red scare is the promotion of a widespread fear of a potential rise of communism or anarchism by a society or state. It contributed to and paralleled the anticommunist campaign known as mccarthyism and the second red scare. Feb 28, 2017 c onversely, the lavender scare did much to galvanize the homosexual community. Between the late 1940s and early 1960s, an unknown number of lgbt employees. The red scare, the congressional witchhunt against communists during the early years of the cold war, is a wellknown chapter of american history. The government dismissed homosexuals on the grounds that emotional weakness and the likelihood of blackmail made them security risks.
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