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The cover of The Lavender Scare

The Lavender Scare

David K. Johnson

How did fear of gay people in government grow, during the Cold War, into a purge that cost thousands their jobs?

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At a glance

Author
David K. Johnson

Why read it

  • You will see how a security scare can turn a hidden minority into a suspected enemy within
  • You will learn how fear of exposure shaped the daily lives of gay and lesbian workers in Washington
  • You will understand how people pushed back, from court cases to the early organised gay rights groups

Who it is for

  • A reader interested in Cold War politics beyond the usual spy stories
  • Someone who wants the roots of LGBTQ rights in America
  • A manager or HR leader thinking about fairness in workplace rules

Contents

  1. Introduction: “Panic on the Potomac”
  2. 1. Peurifoy’s Revelation: The Politics of the Purges
  3. 2. “This Used to Be a Very Gay City”: Lafayette Park and the Sex Crime Panic
  4. 3. “Cookie Pushers in Striped Pants”: The Lavender Lads in the State Department
  5. 4. “Fairies and Fair Dealers”: The Immoral Bureaucracy
  6. 5. The Hoey Investigation: Searching for a Homosexual Spy
  7. 6. “Let’s Clean House”: The Eisenhower Security Program
  8. 7. Interrogations and Disappearances: Gay and Lesbian Subculture in1950s Washington
  9. 8. “Homosexual Citizens”: The Mattachine Society of Washington
  10. Epilogue
  11. Oral History Interviews

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