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.
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
* gay federal 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.
'LAVENR SRE' BILL SEEKS TO ADDRS MIDCENTURY PURGG OF GAY FERAL WORKERS
Durg the "Lavenr Sre" om the late 1940s through the '60s, thoands of gay employe were fired or forced to rign om the feral workforce. * gay federal workers *
(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.
THE LAVENR SRE: HOW THE FERAL ERNMENT PURGED GAY EMPLOYE
Feral civil rights law protects gay, lbian and transgenr workers, the Supreme Court led Monday. * gay federal 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.
Bh's meetg wh gay Republins, which was ced as an stance of his passnate nservatism when he ran for print. 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.
GAY FERAL WORKERS SAY THEY’RE ONLY PARTWAY TO EQUALY
ISIKOFF: Were you gay?
A senator - some homosexual acts his youth are disclosed, and he eventually ms suici. Gay and lbian history is so often leted, sealed, stroyed. Lister Hill nducted the first ngrsnal vtigatn to homosexualy the feral workforce.
” The bill ntas several provisns to addrs the wrongful termatn of employe perceived to be gay.