Lavender+Scare

**The Lavender Scare** The Cause of the Lavender The Cold War instilled Communistic fear in many people; however, many do not realize that this was a time were fear was not only from Communism, but also from difference. Homosexuals in this time were seen as a threat to national security. People believed they did not stand for America and it's traditional values and they were frequently suspected and accused of communism and disloyalty to the government.

Definition The Lavender Scare is defined as the persecution of homosexuals in the Federal Government. In most cases, there was no actual proof of the person being homosexual, but if they suspected you were homosexual you could be immediately fired or taken into questioning for hours.

Executive Order 10450 On April 27th, 1953, President Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10450. This order called for security requirements in the government; which gave allowance to firing all federal employees that were found guilty of being homosexual, or being guilty of sexual perversion.

About the Lavender Scare
 * The Lavender Scare lasted longer than the Red Scare, which happened at around the same time, and ruined many more lives
 * By the time it ended, over two thousand accused and suspected homosexuals had lost their jobs
 * Homosexuals during this time were referred to as "perverts."
 * Public Service Announcements were created by the government about how to identify a homosexual.
 * These Public Service Announcements also stated that homosexuality was a dangerous disease and that it was contagious.
 * <span style="color: #b820f3; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Suspected homosexuals sometimes went through hours of interrogating and no matter what they said, they were still found guilty.
 * <span style="color: #b820f3; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The President also ordered contractors who worked with the government to fire homosexual employees as well

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Homophile Movement <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #b820f3; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Homophile Movement was another name for the Gay Rights Movement of the 1950s. This movement started with the Lavender Scare, and although many hoped the that the Lavender Scare would suppress homosexuals, it only made them more determined to prove that they deserved to be treated equally and made them more willing to fight for their cause. With this determination came the formation of the Mattachine Society.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px;"> <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">The Mattachine Society <span style="color: #b820f3; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Henry Hay was born in 1912, and was homosexual. <span style="color: #b820f3; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">His father first introduced <span style="color: #b820f3; display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">him to the intolerance of gays in society, but as he grew older he realized that the problem was widespread. In 1938, Henry Hay became Communistic, however; his struggle for homosexuals was not over. In 1950, Henry Hay founded the Mattachine Society along with six other openly gay Communist men. The Mattachine Society's goals were to unify homosexuals and to help homosexuals who were victimized by citizens and the government. It was the first modern gay rights organization to come about. Although successful, The Mattachine Society members wanted to do more drastic things to get attention and they soon turned on Henry Hay and beat him until he gave his resignation.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">Impact <span style="color: #b820f3; display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">The Lavender Scare had both good and bad reactions from citizens. Some people felt that the Lavender Scare was exactly what needed to happen. With everyone on edge about Communism, and with their trust in the government for trying to stop it, some people believed that homosexuals were a real threat to national security and did need to be removed. However, only few people saw the Lavender Scare for what it really was, a pointless act targeted against individuals who were just different. They posed no threat to national security and were not perverts, as they were called. <span style="color: #b820f3; display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">The Mattachine Society also had mixed reactions. Homosexuals and people who believed homosexuals should have equal rights were completely in agreement with the organization but most were annoyed by the rioting and didn't want anything to do with it.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">Significance <span style="color: #b820f3; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Lavender Scare was very significant, although most people do not know much about it. The Lavender Scare sparked the much needed activism for gay rights. After homosexuals had become enraged with what was going on they decided it was time to fight back. Homophile Movements started and organizations and societies were formed that were specifically directed towards helping homosexuals. The activism that started would soon lead to equal rights for everyone, including homosexuals. They would no longer be discriminated against due to their sexual orientation.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">Analysis <span style="color: #b820f3; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Lavender Scare began in the 1950's around the time of McCarthyism and the Red Scare. Homosexuals around this time were thought to be diseased and disloyal. It was a time when multiple suspected and accused homosexuals were persecuted and removed from their jobs in the government. Executive Order 10450 made it legal to persecute these homosexuals because of the new security requirements that the order called for. The Lavender Scare caused over two thousand homosexuals to lose their jobs over the period of time that it lasted. The government started this whole thing and continued to fuel the fire with Public Service Announcements about how to identify homosexuals and to "educate" the public about how homosexuals were. The statements made in these Public Service Announcements were far from true but the public was easily persuaded by the government to believe them. The Lavender Scare sparked the Homophile Movement, also known as the Gay Rights Movement, and through this movement came societies and organizations willing to help and stand up for homosexuals. The Mattachine Society was the first society to publicly come about for gays, and they came about with vengeance. They held nonviolent protests and rioted with signs and made a big impact in doing so. These organizations and future organizations to come gave the homosexuals the strength they needed and would continue to need to fight back, eventually gaining equal rights for themselves. Although The Lavender Scare was targeted at weakening homosexuals it had the completely opposite effect, they came back stronger and with more determination than ever. media type="youtube" key="4CuMkTSiB1A" height="315" width="560" media type="youtube" key="x7OJJrBsyWs" height="315" width="560"

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Works Cited <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">D'Emilio, John. "History: The Lavender Scare in Chicago."//Windy City Media Group//. N.p., 05 November 2008. Web. 1 May 2012. <http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=19736>. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Heredia, Christopher. "Henry "Harry" Hay--gay rights pioneer." //San Fransisco Chronicle//. N.p., 25 October 2002. Web. 30 Apr 2012. <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/10/25/BA142097.DTL>. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">"Huffpost Gay Voices." //April 27, 1953: For LGBT Americans, a Day That Lives in Infamy//. N.p., 27 April 2012. Web. 2 May 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-howard/april-27-1953-lavender-scare_b_1459335.html>. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Johnson, David. "The Lavender Scare A Documentary Film." //The Lavender Scare//. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr 2012. <http://www.thelavenderscare.com/about-the-film>. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Johnson, David. //The Lavender Scare //. Chicago: The University Of Chicago Press, 2004. 12-38. Print.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Marston, Brenda. "25 Years of Political Influence: The Records of the Human Rights Campaign." //Cornell// //University//. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr 2012. <http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/HRC/exhibition/stage/stage_3.html>.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Wiley, Andrea, and Josh Burke. "The Lavender Scare." //The Lavender Scare//. N.p., 01 December 2008. Web. 30 Apr 2012. <http://www.edb.utexas.edu/faculty/salinas/students/student_sites/Fall2008/6>.