This special broadcast of Civic 101, a podcast from NHPR, airs Wednesday, June 12 at 1 p.m. and again 9 p.m.
You've probably heard of the Red Scare — the panic around the perceived threat of communism during the Cold War. But the Lavender Scare is lesser known.
This was a time when the federal government investigated, persecuted and fired thousands of LGBTQ+ employees, calling them security risks and threats to the country.
In honor of Pride Month we revisit this episode of Civics 101. NHPR's Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice dive into the origin and timeline of the Lavender Scare, and meet the man who pushed back, and in doing so, started a movement.
They also talk about the ripple effects we're still seeing today, with Dr. Lillian Faderman, author of "Woman: The American History of an Idea," and David K. Johnson, author of "The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government," which became the basis for a documentary film that was broadcast nationwide on PBS.
