Blog Week: 3

The “Lavender Scare” refers to a witch-hunt and persecution of homosexuals in the United States during the 1950s, which was contemporaneous with the better-known “Red Scare” of anti-communist fear-mongering. The Lavender Scare was motivated by a belief that gay people, like Communist sympathizers, posed a threat to American values and national security. This belief was fueled by a larger cultural anxiety about homosexuality and the perception that it was immoral and a mental illness. As a result, many gay and lesbian workers in the federal government and other industries were fired or forced to resign, and some were even blacklisted from future employment. The Lavender Scare was particularly intense in the federal government, where employees were required to take loyalty oaths and undergo investigations into their personal lives. President Eisenhower even signed an Executive Order in 1953, which allowed for the firing of any federal employee suspected of being gay or lesbian, on the grounds that homosexuality was considered a security risk. While the Red Scare is often considered a more prominent historical event, the Lavender Scare had a profound and lasting impact on the lives of LGBTQ+ Americans, and it contributed to a broader climate of intolerance and discrimination that persisted for many years The smearing of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s credibility in the mid-1950s revealed the connections between anticommunism and homophobia in several ways. Firstly, the anticommunist fervor that McCarthy rode to fame was part of a larger cultural panic about the perceived dangers of homosexuality. Like the Communist threat, homosexuality was seen as a threat to American values and national security, and many people believed that gay and lesbian individuals were susceptible to blackmail and thus could be easily manipulated by foreign powers. Secondly, McCarthy and other anti-Communist lawmakers and officials used the Lavender Scare as a means of distracting from their own shortcomings and increasing their power and influence. For example, during the height of McCarthy’s anti-Communist witch-hunt, he publicly accused a State Department official of being gay in an attempt to discredit him and undermine his testimony against McCarthy’s own misconduct. This revealed that the Lavender Scare was not just a product of cultural anxiety but was also being used as a political tool by those in power. Unfortunately, sexual innuendos are still used in politics today, although the specific tactics may have evolved over time. For example, in recent years, there have been instances of politicians using a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity as a means of discrediting them or portraying them as unqualified for public office. There have also been instances of politicians using sexual scandals or allegations as a means of undermining their opponents or distracting from other political issues. Additionally, there have been instances of politicians using coded language or dog-whistle politics to appeal to voters who hold prejudiced views about homosexuality or other forms of non-normative sexuality. This can involve making negative comments about same-sex marriage or LGBTQ+ rights, or implying that certain politicians or political positions are not “family values.” In short, while the tactics used to attack politicians based on their sexual orientation or gender identity may have evolved, the underlying motivations and prejudice remain prevalent in today’s political climate.