Homophobia and Anti-communism in tandem- The inversion of reaction

The era in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s where a fear of communism was to grasp the United States. Stirred up by the tensions between the Soviet Union and the US following the Berlin blockade and the declaration of the cold war through the Truman doctrine. Senator Joeseph Mcarthy was the figurehead behind the frenzy whipped up about soviet espionage in the US, thus creating an atmosphere of unease about communism in the US. At the same time, the lavender scare was also on the rise. The lavender scare refers to the investigation, interrogation and dismissal of those believed to be homosexuals by government officials and private employers (Friedman). The popular use of these scares to remove political opponents was made possible by using the perception of homosexuals and communists sharing similar traits. Both groups were seen as slaves, homosexuals to their passion for other men and communists as slaves to their masters in the USSR (Friedman). 

In the downfall of Joe Mcarthy because of his relationship with his aide Roy Cohn, the use of anti-communism and homophobia as political tactics and the culture of gossip is prevalent. Homophobia was able to gain popularity as after World War II the ideal of a man was seen more so as someone who possessed physical strength, “warrior heroism” and virility (Friedman). Mcarthy’s attacks on the elite men who ran the state department were based around their manhood. Claiming that being born in wealth took away manliness and heterosexuality (Friedman). The lack of manliness was seen as a sign of weakness and those who displayed homosexual tendencies were seen as more liable to falling to communism (Friedman). Mcarthy used anticommunism and homophobia in tandem to discredit his opponents, however his use of homophobia was to be his downfall. In the smearing of McCarthy his opponents responded to “red baiting” by “gay baiting” (Friedman). Countering Mcarthy’s accusations of communism with accusations of homosexual relations between his aide Roy Cohn and David Schine. Regardless of whether Mcarthy himself was a homosexual, he was put into the same group as his aides and seen as someone who was enslaved to another man and as such could not be trusted to uphold the public good. The idea that homosexual was in the government created fear as homosexuals were seen as security risks, due to lacking “manliness”, as a result being seen as more likely to be communists. Anti-communists used homophobia to remove those they believed to be susceptible to communism.

Sexual innuendo continues to be used today in smearing political figures. In recent times, accusations of sexual impropriety have been made against a litany of figures including presidents like Donald Trump, who was found liable for sexual assault, while accusations have been levied against former president Joe Biden as well. However, In the political sphere today, these accusations rarely have the effect that they had during the McCarthy era. In that era people forgot the politics represented by McCarthy and focused on his impropriety, whereas today people are more likely to forget the impropriety and instead focus on politics.