Lavender Scare - The Cold War Persecution of Gays Lesbians in Federal Government

"In The Lavender Scare, historian David K. Johnson relates the frightening story of how, during the Cold War, homosexuals were considered as dangerous a threat to national security as Communists. Charges that the Roosevelt and Truman administrations were havens for homosexuals proved a potent political weapon, sparking a "Lavender Scare" more vehement and long-lasting than McCarthy's Red Scare. Relying on newly declassified documents, years of research in the records of the National Archives and the FBI, and interviews with former civil servants, Johnson's 2004 book recreated the vibrant gay subculture that flourished in New Deal-era Washington and took us inside the security interrogation rooms where thousands of Americans were questioned about their sex lives. The homosexual purges ended promising careers, ruined lives, and pushed many to suicide. But, as Johnson also showed, the purges brought victims together to protest their treatment, helping launch a new civil rights struggle. Much has changed regarding LGBT rights and our understanding of LGBT history since the original publication, and this enlarged edition features a new epilogue by the author that brings the story into the twenty-first century"--

About the author

David K. Johnson is professor of history at the University of South Florida and the author of Buying Gay: How Physique Entrepreneurs Sparked a Movement.

Product details

• Authors: David K Johnson, David K. Johnson, Johnson David K.
• Assisted by: Johnson David K. (Epilogue)
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.03.2023
• EAN: 9780226825724
• ISBN: 978-0-226-82572-4
• No. of pages: 322
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories; USA, 20th Century, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, HISTORY / United States / 20th Century, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, United States of America, USA, History of the Americas