Stggle for Gay Rights Ameri and the Cold War

Contents:

• THE LAVENR SRE: GAY AND LBIAN LIFE POST-WWII AMERI
• STGGLE FOR GAY RIGHTS AMERI AND THE COLD WAR
• HIROSHIMA’S ENOLA GAY RRIED 12 MEN, HOPE AND THE WORLD’S ADLIT WEAPON

THE LAVENR SRE: GAY AND LBIAN LIFE POST-WWII AMERI

The Lavenr Sre, which we n lote historilly the perd om the World War II era to the first s of the Cold War, is a s-long attempt by policians and polil officials to purge the feral ernment-- the ary and other kds of feral employment-- of homosexuals, of gay and lbian people. The term homosexualy entered the English language the late 19th century.

STGGLE FOR GAY RIGHTS AMERI AND THE COLD WAR

And wh s, there were many gay men and lbians livg openly New York Cy. This new visibily bed wh the natnalistic fervor of World War II would dramatilly alter how gay men and lbians were perceived Amerin society and how they were treated. So what you get the perd after World War II is jt another maniftatn of that, and one that be targeted towards people who are spected to be or known to be homosexuals.

Shortly after the Uned Stat entered World War II 1941, the ary began to discrimate agast gay men by issug blue discharg. Dismissals prted on blue paper signified that the recipient was spected of homosexual behavr. The perd followg the war would prove even more burnsome for both gay men and lbians, though, as fear of the Soviet Unn's ary might and s potential to spread munism swept the Amerin social nscns.

But Joe McCarthy also-- at the same time that he was sayg that he had a list of munists-- said he had a list of spected homosexuals and that there was overlap those lists. McCarthy and others ially claimed homosexuals, the mal of which many people referred to at the time as lavenr lads, were a secury threat bee they uld be blackmailed to provi state secrets to the Soviets, though no evince suggts this ever happened. As vtigatns ntued, both gay men and lbians were creasgly targeted simply for beg what McCarthy lled threats to the Amerin way of life.

HIROSHIMA’S ENOLA GAY RRIED 12 MEN, HOPE AND THE WORLD’S ADLIT WEAPON

And so this antimunism that was a characteristic of the Cold War, fueled by the fear of war wh the Soviet Unn, was yoked together wh this anti-homosexualy. This was the mandate that the feral ernment would pri over the purgg of homosexuals the ary and feral employment. By 1954, the US ernment was dismissg as many as 60 people om civilian ernment posns per month for spected homosexual activy, often whout providg any evince beyond mor or hearsay.

And although the McCarthy trials would end 1956, the Lavenr Sre ntued to have nsequenc on gay life that would last for s. First, ntributed to a more hostile environment for homosexuals the broar Amerin culture, which an rrect and harmful associatn between homosexualy and sexually predatory behavr, perversn, and mental illns beme creasgly mon. People durg that time who were spected of homosexualy had electric shock therapy, stratn, nversn therapy.