The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government Paperback – May 15, 2006

I've always been fascinated by the McCarthy era. It always seemed to me that the nation teetered on the brink of totalitarianism for several years during the 1950s. Fortunately, the nation managed to pull itself back from the brink.In The Lavender Scare author David K. Johnson sheds light into the dark corner or the McCarthy era and uncovers a time when the federal government targeted gay and lesbian employees for prosecution and firing because it was believed that simply being gay made then more vulnerable to blackmail by foreign agents. (It doesn't seem to have occurred to the government that a straight married man involved in an affair stood the same risk of blackmail.)Wisconsin Sen. Joe McCarthy often gets credit for starting the "lavender scare" along with the witch hunts seeking to oust current and former Communists from the government. However, as Johnson points out, McCarthy actually had little to do directly with the anti-homosexual purges. But in the mind of the public in the 1950s McCarthy was forever linked with the lavender scare because the public did not see the distinction between the issues of disloyalty posed by Communists and the potential security risks posed by gays and lesbians.The anti-gay purges began in the State Department but soon spread to all federal offices as well as private companies that held government contracts. While Washington, D.C. had a reputation for tolerance before World War II, the post-war years saw that tolerance reversed. Vice officers busted hapless men for as little as making eye contact in bars, in parks and on the street. Law enforcement agencies were only too happy to share their arrest reports with government officials. Gays and lesbians were arrested at private dinner parties and interrogated to identify their friends. When a gay employee was identified, Civil Service investigators were called in for coercive interogations.During the darkest days of the lavender scare many gays and lesbians simply "disappeared." Some moved back to their home towns in the hope their shame wouldn't follow them. Some had to take menial jobs because the careers they had prepared for were forever barred to them. Some chose to end their own lives. And some found a new calling. Among them were Harry Hay, founder of the Mattachine Society in California and Frank Kameny who founded the Mattachine Society of Washington.Kameny especially comes across as a hero. Once an astronomer who was working under a government contract, when rumors of his homosexuality began to spread he was called Washington and fired. He began a court fight that ultimately proved futile, but along they way he gained the courage to come out as a gay man and speak publicly about the devastation of the government's anti-gay purges.I've encountered references to the anti-gay purges in various histories of the time that I read. Lavender Scare is the first book I've ever read to deal specifically with the subject. It seems well researched and a work of solid scholarship in addition to being a very readable book.

Very-good, fairly-quick read on a little-known slice of US history and a heretofore-unexplored subsection of US history typically dominated by the shadow of the Red Scare. Great for anyone interested in the Cold War, LGTBQIA+ rights/history and the Red Scare. Especially liked reading about the gay community in the 20s, 30s and 40s before the hammer came down. I read this for an episode of my podcast, Hard Fried History.

I am reviewing this book based on the Kindle version. The only problem i have with the Kindle version is that the footnotes, which in a book like this are very important, are not directly accessible as with other Kindle books. I can see the footnote number, but cannot click on the number to get to the actual note. I hope the producers of this book will correct this problem.As for the content, this well written book was an eye opener for me. The author lays out the events in a manner that makes clear how the homosexual panic took hold as a tool for the Republicans wanting to oust a Democratic president and cast aspersions on the New Deal. It also reveals how some in the press used it as a means to improve their circulation by playing on the public's fear of the gay/lesbian "other". When i was taught about the McCarthy era there was NO information provided about the attack on the gay/lesbian community. This book is the only one to bring this dark period of hysteria into the cold light of day where i hope we will learn some important lessons.This book and  Making Gay History  are the two books i recommend to friends who want to learn about LGBT history. The two books are complements in that  The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government.(Book review): An article from: 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 Stonewall incident. Both make great gifts and recently my book club decided to make The Lavender Scare our monthly read.I gave this only four stars because the Kindle footnotes are not live. Given the importance of the footnotes, live notes are important because they provide easy access to the footnotes in a way that is conducive to maintaining reading flow. Without the live footnotes i've been forced to use a second kindle to maintain access to the foot notes. Should the authors release a version with live footnotes i will change my review to 5 stars.

I'm honestly surprised that this book isn't required at the highschool or college level history classes. It gives an incredible window into the 1950s, how we hamstrung our ICBM program due to completely nonsensical fears, and how scientists and other brave people stood up for everyone and made the world a better place, even for straight people, who could be fired without probable cause even if unjustly accused.It also showcases how a social movement starts and pushes society forward for the betterment of everyone. It was fun going to DC and being able to visit all the same places that were discussed in this book, as many of the original places, parks, and bathrooms are still there. In a tragic twist of irony, none of these places in real life acknowledge the lavender scare at all, despite it being the starting shot for the entire LGBT+ movement. I can recommend this book to anyone, even non-Americans.

I remember growing up and reading in the newspaper of McCarthyism in full swing. The US government, especially the State Department, was exceptionally hostile to gays. There were witch hunts. Being gay was equalled with being communist, and this was during the Cold War. People lost their jobs, guys killed themselves when outed, these were terrible un-accepting times for gays. It's hard to comprehend how much things have changed for the better. Fascinating history, well-written.