Lavender Scare: Centering LGBTQ Experiences in Cold War History
With Michael Bronski, Professor of the Practice in Media and Activism in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University and author of A Queer History of the United States
Engaging with Experts
Date
Thursday November 16, 2023 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Location
Online
PDPs/Credits
5 PDPs
Fee
Partnership educators: no cost
Non-partnership educators: $200
Especially for educators of grades 9-12
During the Cold War, fear, paranoia, and anxiety about Communism took hold of the American government and society, as seen during the Second Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s. At the same time, members of the LGBTQIA+ community were barred from government service in what has become known as the Lavender Scare. This action was justified by “Cold Warriors” who claimed that government employees were already vulnerable to Soviet espionage and that the threat of exposure could result in LGBTQIA+ people aiding Soviet spies. These attacks took place even as queer communities and individuals were beginning to create new forms of political action and social spaces.
Join Primary Source and Michael Bronski, Professor of the Practice in Media and Activism in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University and author of A Queer History of the United States as we explore the Lavender Scare, discussing the intersection between gender and sexuality, politics, international relations, and social anxieties.
Standards:
[USII.T3.9] Analyze factors that contributed to the Cold War; [USII.T4.2] Analyze the roots of domestic communism and anti-communism in the 1950s…and congressional investigation into the Lavender Scare
[USII.T4.8]Using primary and secondary sources, analyze the causes and course of a political movement (e.g. the LGBTQ civil rights movement) including the role of protest, advocacy organizations, and active citizen participation