Start Date

5-19-2021 1:20 PM

End Date

5-19-2021 2:35 PM

Disciplines

History

Subjects

Gay Rights Movement -- History, Homophobia -- Law and legislation, Homosexuality -- Government policy, Gay rights -- Politics and government, Gays in the civil service -- United States -- History -- 20th century, Civil service -- Security measures -- United States -- History -- 20th century

Abstract

In the 1950s, the federal government began to systematically root out gay individuals from the civil service in what is known as the “Lavender Scare.” This eradication paralleled McCarthyism and was apart of the larger homophobic culture. A closer look at the media reveals how this panic was spread throughout the nation. Despite persecution in and out of the workplace, the voices of those oppressed were not irreversibly silenced. In fact, the Lavender Scare gave rise to pioneers of the gay rights movement, nearly a decade before the Stonewall Riots.

Rights

© Copyright the author(s)

IN COPYRIGHT:
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DISCLAIMER:
The purpose of this statement is to help the public understand how this Item may be used. When there is a (non-standard) License or contract that governs re-use of the associated Item, this statement only summarizes the effects of some of its terms. It is not a License, and should not be used to license your Work. To license your own Work, use a License offered at https://creativecommons.org/

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/35813

Included in

History Commons

Share

COinS
 
May 19th, 1:20 PM May 19th, 2:35 PM

Session 1: Panel 2: Presenter 1 (Paper) -- The Gay Rights Movement: A Reaction to the Lavender Scare

In the 1950s, the federal government began to systematically root out gay individuals from the civil service in what is known as the “Lavender Scare.” This eradication paralleled McCarthyism and was apart of the larger homophobic culture. A closer look at the media reveals how this panic was spread throughout the nation. Despite persecution in and out of the workplace, the voices of those oppressed were not irreversibly silenced. In fact, the Lavender Scare gave rise to pioneers of the gay rights movement, nearly a decade before the Stonewall Riots.