'Uniquely Nasty' Remembers The U.S. Ban On Gay Feral Workers : NPR

Contents:

• 'UNIQUELY NASTY' REMEMBERS THE U.S. BAN ON GAY FERAL WORKERS
• 'LAVENR SRE' BILL SEEKS TO ADDRS MIDCENTURY PURGG OF GAY FERAL WORKERS
• THE LAVENR SRE: HOW THE FERAL ERNMENT PURGED GAY EMPLOYE
• GAY FERAL WORKERS SAY THEY’RE ONLY PARTWAY TO EQUALY

'UNIQUELY NASTY' REMEMBERS THE U.S. BAN ON GAY FERAL WORKERS

NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Michael Isikoff and Charl Francis about their documentary Uniquely Nasty, which explor the ernment's mpaign agast gay workers startg the 1950s.

Edgar Hoover was termed to drive munists out of the feral ernment, his agency was jt as termed to drive out another group - gays and lbians. Beg gay uld st you your secury clearance, and later on, uld st you your job. (SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "UNIQUELY NASTY")UNIDENTIFIED MAN: It was a war on gays.

Bh's outreach to gays and lbians. Civil Service Commissn explag why gays and lbians were not suable for feral employment.

'LAVENR SRE' BILL SEEKS TO ADDRS MIDCENTURY PURGG OF GAY FERAL WORKERS

And reflects the cultural view of gays and lbians at the time, somethg that was viewed by workers as somethg uniquely nasty. And there is black and whe this memo wrten, actually, the 1960s well after the FBI Sex Deviat Program In documents that you draw upon, one n read an argument that obvly a gay man is unsuable as an air traffic ntroller bee he's ma misjudgments the past, and he may upset his lleagu too.

THE LAVENR SRE: HOW THE FERAL ERNMENT PURGED GAY EMPLOYE

Bh's meetg wh gay Republins, which was ced as an stance of his passnate nservatism when he ran for print.

GAY FERAL WORKERS SAY THEY’RE ONLY PARTWAY TO EQUALY

Have you been surprised by the spe of the pursu of gay feral workers that you found?

FRANCIS: Yeah, surprised and amazed not only at the spe of - the untold tens of thoands of gays and lbians who were vtigated and fired - but also the toxicy of , the anim of embedd feral law. I mean, starts out wh ncerns about gay people beg able to be blackmailed, but grew to revulsn and then morphed to suabily and stretch over seven princi om Eisenhower through Reagan and didn't really end until Print Clton put an end to wh an executive One of the people, Mike Isikoff, whom you terview for "Uniquely Nasty" is Lter Hunt Jr. And you qutned him about his arrt 1953 near the Whe Hoe by a man who'd approached him, one of the many unrver ps posg as gay men cisg.

ISIKOFF: Were you gay? A senator - some homosexual acts his youth are disclosed, and he eventually ms suici.