131: The Dark History of "The Lavender Scare": An Unknown War on Queer American Citizens 45:56

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The government once forcibly outed thousands of gay men and women. Yeah, I recently came across this story about a government-sponsored witch hunt. Now, this witch hunt ruined the lives of thousands of gay men and women.

thousands of people in America. If you were targeted, your life was over. Pack your bags, you're moving back to Oklahoma, you know? And the reason it all started was because of one crusty politician.

Joseph McCarthy. Yes, he made a name for himself by creating a media frenzy in America. His thirst for power literally changed the course of the country, and we still feel its effects today. So, come with me on a little journey about how power, greed, and corruption caused a little something called the Lavender Scare. ♪

Hi friends, I hope you're having a wonderful day today. My name is Bailey Sarian and I'd like to welcome you to my podcast, Dark History. Here we believe history does not have to be boring. I mean, yeah, it might be tragic. Sometimes it's happy. But either way, it's our Dark History. Before we get into it, don't forget to like and subscribe because listen, I come out with hot juicy history goss every week and you don't want to miss it. All right?

And let me know what you think down below. I love hearing from you in the comment section. Now let's get into today's story.

Oh, just a little heads up, there will be some stories that involve sexual abuse in today's episode, so just a little disclaimer for you. All right. So in the 1950s, a lot was happening. America had just gone through the wringer with World War II, and people were scared that like another war was gonna break out pretty soon. Word on the street was that the Soviet Union was making nuclear weapons. So America was like, "Oh shit," you know, crapping their pants pretty much.

At the same time, the American civil rights movement was growing and people of color were fighting for the same rights for every other American.

Women were joining the workforce and like not just as secretaries. Fashion went from conservative 1940s dresses to very unique out there designs. And the queer community was starting to become more known in mainstream society. So a lot of Americans welcomed this change. They were like, hell yeah, you know, bring it on, new America. And others saw any change in society as a sign that America was going to hell.

Pretty much. It was just a very tense time. And there was one specific man who took advantage of the fears America had. And his name was Joseph McCarthy. Joseph McCarthy was a United States Senator from Wisconsin. And he was like pretty mid for most of his life. His political career was kind of flopping. I mean, he never passed any important bills. He was just kind of a...

fart of a politician. You know, kind of forgettable. But all that changed in 1950. All of the higher up Republican politicians would flock to Washington, D.C. once a year to celebrate President Lincoln's birthday.

But during this time, I mean, there were still fundraisers and speeches that needed to get done. So they usually would throw those jobs to unimportant politicians who weren't invited to the Lincoln party. And that's exactly what happened to McCarthy on February 9th, 1950. McCarthy was given the task of talking to some random women's group in the middle of somewhere West Virginia about the importance of housing veterans. Now,

Now I think we can all agree it's very important, but it had nothing to do with like these women, this women's group, you know? So when he takes the podium to address them, he's kind of coming off as...

mad, irritated, angry. I mean, he was probably thinking to himself like, why the hell am I not in DC with all the others? Like, why am I here talking to this random woman? You know, like I should be at Lincoln's birthday party. So he decides to, I don't know, shake things up with an epic rant that would change the course of America forever. You know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round? I mean, it fits you just right. So you wear all the

time, but maybe now it's getting a little old. Shifting my wardrobe from summer to fall is always a challenge. Luckily, Quince offers timeless and high quality items that I love so I can make sure my wardrobe stays fresh and I don't blow my budget. They've got cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops, and my favorite part, all Quince items are priced $50 to

80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices

and premium fabrics and finishes. I recently got this 100% European linen short sleeve shirt. Ooh, I love linen and you know, it was so comfortable, so cute. I can finally retire my old ratty tank top.

RIP. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash dark history for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash dark history to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash dark history.

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yep, while you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you're not in some kind of moving vehicle, there's something else you could be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.

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Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customer survey who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations. McCarthy essentially gives a speech about how America sucks.

He says that all the countries in the world are beating our record at a bunch of different things, like technology. But most importantly, like we're not keeping our citizens safe. He would say that there's one reason that the country is failing, and that was because of communists. I know. And worse, communists have snuck their way into the American government. Gasparrelli. I know the audience was like, what? They were freaking out.

Then McCarthy whips out a piece of paper, he waves it in the air, and he says, quote, End quote.

Yeah, he's waving that look right here. Back then, when Americans heard the word communist, it was like hitting the panic button. And he knew that. And in the last few decades, several countries were thrown into chaos after their governments were overthrown by communist groups. So McCarthy said the only way to keep America safe was to get rid of these communists, right? He made it very clear that communists were gay people.

So they became enemy number one. To him, the logic was simple. If you're gay, you can't be trusted. So therefore you must be a communist. That's what he's saying. That's not what I'm saying, okay? McCarthy said, quote, homosexuals must not be handling top secret material. The pervert is easy prey to the blackmailer, end quote.

He believed the whole queer community would be easily blackmailed into giving up America's secrets and they must be stopped. So people are hearing this and they're going crazy, especially the homophobes, because now it was like they had a government sponsored reason to dislike and even hate the gay community, the gay people. This speech brought McCarthy the attention that he craved. The press was hounding him for quotes and his office phones were ringing off the hook.

And honestly, McCarthy was like rock hard for this new celebrity status he had. And the story took over headlines in major American newspapers. McCarthy makes a list of like random people who worked in the government who he believed were potential communists. Then he hands this list off to his friends in the government. And then these friends begin to terrorize and destroy the queer community, all in the name of national security.

And this was the beginning of the Lavender Scare. It was called the Lavender Scare because back then, homophobes used to call gay men Lavender Lads. On February 20th, 1950, McCarthy spoke to the Senate.

And here is where he claimed to know of a quote, "Case 14 and Case 62," which honestly, I guess was really smart. It made people think, oh my God, there must be at least 62 communists if there's a Case 62. I don't know, he's just like making up numbers and shit, okay?

McCarthy like didn't use any specific names or details. He simply said that these case numbers were quote, homosexuals. And he believed gay people would be converted to communism because quote, practically every active communist is twisted mentally or physically in some way, end quote.

Look, it wasn't making any goddamn sense, but he got the point across by being just very vague. No one was ever able to fact check McCarthy's list of names that he had because he was like, it's very top secret.

LOL. You know, like you can't have this list. But I know what I'm talking about. But people were starting to doubt him. So McCarthy does something shady. He tells the press he has evidence that he's right about the whole gay communist thing. And he says that there is a secret report within the government. And that report says that there were 91 known homosexuals who were recently fired from their government jobs. And the American people were like, oh my God, profiteers.

Proof he's onto something. But like, here's the thing. McCarthy wasn't lying. There were 91 people fired from the government for being gay. And that actually happened five years earlier. McCarthy made it seem like this had just happened. Like it was like yesterday.

You know, he was using old data to get new headlines all because he had one goal in mind: create a media frenzy. At this point, most Americans trust that McCarthy is keeping them safe. People were literally writing letters to McCarthy thanking him for taking care of the quote "sex perversion" problem in the government. He even started a new movement called McCarthyism.

Yeah, McCarthyism is essentially when you're accused of being a communist who is not loyal to America. And once you've been accused, that's it. You're basically screwed. So if you're accused, you're taken from your home and then you would have to testify under oath in front of government officials. Now sometimes behind closed doors, sometimes in Congress. And you would have to answer questions about the most intimate parts of your life.

Things about your sex life, your childhood, your finances. And the entire time you're testifying, you are completely like terrified you're going to say something that makes you look like a communist, like by accident. It's like, yes, sir, I signed a petition one time. I thought I was buying Girl Scout cookies, but like I promise, like...

I'm not a communist!" Like no one's gonna believe you because you've already been labeled at that point. And the thing was, even if you were somehow proven innocent, the interrogators still wanted you to give names of people or things you thought were communist. It's just a never-ending like circle jerk. For example, McCarthy believed that many popular books in American libraries were actually secret communist textbooks. Oh yeah,

In that case, the people McCarthy chose to blame were the librarians. So they would bring in these innocent librarians who are just trying, you know, to get young people to read and force them to testify. Like this just all shows that McCarthy didn't read. It's like, sir, this is the cat in the hat. I don't know what that has to do with communism, but okay. You know, like...

Really? Look, if the librarian was found innocent, they then had to throw another employee under the bus and make it seem like, you know, they're the communists. They wanted names. And it's like in that situation, you're going to name names just so you can get out of it. So if anyone who was accused of being a communist didn't give them a name, that was essentially them admitting that they were a communist. Right? It's so stupid.

So they had to give them a name, even if that person wasn't a communist and that was to prove their loyalty to America. It honestly, it's just like the witch trials. Remember, like everyone was just trying to protect their own ass, naming names just to get people off their back. You couldn't win. McCarthy keeps getting more and more popular and

And I mean, this man isn't even the president, but people seem to trust him more. But then there's a little bump in the road for McCarthy when his personal life gets called into question. You see, McCarthy, at this time, he was a 42-year-old unmarried man who lived with his mother. And there's nothing wrong with that.

But McCarthy had been using evidence exactly like this as proof that someone was a gay communist. So, you know, rumors circulated about McCarthy's own sexuality. Ooh.

Jack fired. One newspaper called the Milwaukee Journal actually received letters from men claiming to have had sexual relations with McCarthy. For some reason, the letters were never published. These rumors just pissed McCarthy off even more and made him press the gas pedal a little bit harder. He ended up teaming up with someone who was just as fame hungry as he was. And they became the toxic duo that

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love so I can make sure my wardrobe stays fresh and I don't blow my budget. They've got cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops, and my favorite part, all Quince items are priced $50 to

80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I recently got this 100% European linen short sleeve shirt. Ooh!

I love linen and you know, it was so comfortable, so cute. I can finally retire my old ratty tank top.

R.I.P. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash dark history for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash dark history to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash dark history.

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yep, while you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you're not in some kind of moving vehicle, there's something else you could be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.

It's easy and you can save money by doing it from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner and more.

So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what. Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customer survey who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations.

McCarthy was paired with a young prosecutor named Roy Cohn. I'm not laughing, it's just I can't say Roy, but follow me. Roy was making a name for himself in Washington and he came from a very well-connected family

and he was very smart. I mean, I guess he graduated law school with like flying colors. Well, he was determined to make it big in DC. So he did what everyone who wanted attention at the time did. He aggressively went after communists. When McCarthy made himself like the poster boy for taking down the communists, Roy started working for him and he became his right-hand man. And you know, I guess they were like Batman and Robin.

But like not as cute. You know, because, you know, yeah, but they were. But then in 1954, McCarthy and Roy Cohn got a taste of their own medicine. The two were accused of being lovers. Hmm.

I mean, look, there was no evidence, okay? But the rumors made McCarthy very nervous. He didn't fire Roy. Instead, he decided he needed to turn up the volume on this witch hunt of his. So he takes a big swing and goes after the U.S. Army. I know, it's bold.

Now McCarthy claims the most top secret facility the army had was failing because they had crappy security. It was like they were inviting communists to take over the government. I mean, this was back in like the days of America where you just did not go after the army. America was all about the army. So this was like really bold for him.

And these accusations weren't just insulting to the army officials. It tarnished the image of America's national security and it made us look weak.

And McCarthy just made it up out of thin air. Like everything else, this was just another one of his things. And at this point, the army was sick of his finger pointing and they were about to like put him in his place because they had some major dirt on McCarthy's team. So they're like, "Oh, you want to play? We'll play too." Hmm. So allegedly when Roy was in law school, he did manage to slide his way out of the war draft.

You know, he wiggled right out. Roy was completely healthy and had no reason to avoid the war, except for the fact that McCarthy told them not to draft him. Oh yeah. So McCarthy was stunned when the army like brought this up. He thought no one would ever dare to call him on his BS. So then McCarthy comes back at officials in charge of the investigation

And he has a little blackmail of his own. They're just playing so fucking dirty. So McCarthy said that he knows the government is employing a young lawyer who used to be a communist. Here we go again. And he's going to name names and flush their reputation down the toilet. Now, this threat does not sit well with the army's lawyer, a man named Joseph Welch.

I know when I first heard Joseph Welch, I was like, is this the grape juice guy? Welch's juice? I guess not, you guys. I know, Welch's grape juice. Not the same Welch. I was thinking about grape juice. I love the white grape juice. Do you ever mix the white Welch's grape juice with 7-Up? Let me know down below.

if you like a lot of sugar. Okay, McCarthy is called in to testify for his false accusations against the army. Before the testifying starts, behind closed doors, Welch, Roy, and McCarthy, they all pinky promise not to bring up the dirt that they have on each other. They're like, "I promise." Blackmailing each other was not gonna do anyone good.

Now this hearing was a big deal because it was the first congressional hearing to be broadcast on live television. Like the first ever. So millions of people across America were glued to the TV. I mean, this was like the Super Bowl of politics. Plus it was new, it was exciting. TV, what? We can watch? You know. So when the hearing starts, right away, it's clear that McCarthy is...

He's salty. He knows it doesn't look good that he accused the army and he feels like he's losing his power. So he goes rogue. In front of the press during his testimony, McCarthy declares that Welch has a communist working at his law firm and worse, Welch has known about it for years. Dude, he's like, what about that pinky promise? And all this is on tape. You can actually watch it on YouTube. Like Roy, he just shakes his head like crazy.

Why McCarthy? Why? And even though Welch just got thrown under the bus, he smiles because he knows McCarthy just made himself look bad. Welch lays into McCarthy. He defends the man accused of being a communist by saying, quote, "Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?" End quote.

Welch starts tearing up. He's like dabbing his eyes. He's like, oh my God. He's like...

And everyone who's watching, everyone around is like, oh my God, he's crying. Like McCarthy is such a freaking bully. And everyone, the courts, the viewers at home, the politicians, they all turn on McCarthy. Everyone at this point kind of mutually agreed that McCarthy had gone too far. Meanwhile, once that like Welch guy was away from cameras, he turned to his colleague, winked, and said, how did I do?

And I guess it was all an act. He was never emotional. He was calculated. And his entire plan was to get McCarthy all along. And it worked. He's like, yeah.

Cute, you tried to make me look bad, that's wild. Sorry. Okay, so after this, McCarthy was now removed from all communist committees. And by this point, he was naming everyone and anyone a communist and people were just exhausted and over him. They're like, dude, like none of these actually check out.

And the final nail in the coffin was him calling out the army. So they let him keep his job as a senator, but nobody ever took the guy seriously again. I mean, they should have removed him, right? He was dangerous. He was ruining lives. Like, whatever. But they let him stay. Oh, great. He ended up dying just a few years later on May 2nd, 1957. As for Roy Cohn...

He went on to have like a super flashy career taking down communists and helping DC with their quote unquote sexual perversion problem. Roy himself faced accusations about being gay his whole life. Now it was revealed after his death that Roy was gay.

had been gay the whole time, and he actually ended up passing away from AIDS. Wild, right? Of course, the one accusing is usually the one who's like doing, you know what I'm saying? So you'd think after the hearings, they'd ease up on this witch hunt a little bit. No, I'm sorry. The hunt for communists was still very active. And not long before all of this, the government had formed something they called the Hoey Commission.

I know. I'd be on the Hoey train. I'd grab my boobs and be like, "Cute, cute, Hoey, all aboard, Hoey train." So Hoey,

It was named after the head of the group, Senator Clyde Hoey. And he was really the one who took the lavender scare to the next level. After McCarthy, there was so much confusion. No one really knew how to spot a communist because McCarthy would accuse anyone who looked at him the wrong way, you know? There was no outline to follow. The Hoey Commission makes sure that the American people know that there is still one target,

the queer community. I know it's like why are they going back to this if they're still investigating after all these years the queer community? It's like maybe they're missing the target. I don't know just a thought like maybe they're not the communists but

They wanted someone to blame. And the Hoey Commission starts with a list of potential threats in the government, aka people who seem like they might be secretly gay. They end up talking to judges, policemen, government workers, and doctors, and they interrogate like all of them.

and most importantly, they tell them to name names. After this shakedown by the Hoey Commission, a jaw-dropping number is released to the press. Now according to the authorities, there were 5,000 queer people in DC and 3,700 of them worked for the government. Oh my god, what?

And according to the committee, like these gay people were, they were communists. Yeah. Like that because they were gay. Like, okay. And like they had weaseled their way into the government to spy for the enemy. So fucking dramatic. So

So they wanted to make an example of one of those employees to send a message. Like, we don't care if you work for us. No one is safe. You know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round? I mean, it fits you just right. So you wear it all the time.

time, but maybe now it's getting a little old. Shifting my wardrobe from summer to fall is always a challenge. Luckily, Quince offers timeless and high quality items that I love so I can make sure my wardrobe stays fresh and I don't blow my budget. They've got cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops, and my favorite part,

All Quince items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices

and premium fabrics and finishes. I recently got this 100% European linen short sleeve shirt. Ooh, I love linen and you know, it was so comfortable, so cute. I can finally retire my old ratty tank top.

R.I.P. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash dark history for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash dark history to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash dark history.

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yep, while you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you're not in some kind of moving vehicle, there's something else you could be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.

It's easy and you can save money by doing it from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner and more.

So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what. Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customer survey who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations.

They start with someone named Carmel Offie. In 1934, Offie had already been working for the US government for a few years and he was looking for a change. So he ends up moving to Moscow to work for the American ambassador, William C. Bullitt.

Now, this job was like Carmel's golden ticket when it came to his career. Over the next nine years, wherever Bullitt went, Offie, he went as well, you know? He was Bullitt's right-hand man. So he would like help him take his medications and even go on like every vacation with him. So in 1936, Bullitt and Offie were stationed in Paris and they actually became friends with the future president, JFK.

I know, I feel like lately we can't do any stories without JFK popping up. Weird crossover. But Offy and JFK, they hit it off so well that JFK even named one of his dogs after him. But not everyone liked Offy. He actually started to get the nickname around town as Carmy Awful. Wow, good one you guys.

But this was mostly because Afi was basically openly gay. So they made fun of him. So Afi, he was known around town for being like,

a little too curious and also loose-lipped. Like he liked to gossip, you know, like a lot of us. And Offy was stuck being Bullets assistant years after he should have been promoted, but he just kind of kept his head low and kept out of the spotlight. On September 8th, 1943, Offy visits Lafayette Park

And this was known to be like a cruising spot near the White House. And at this time, cruising culture was important in the queer community. There were not apps to meet people. So you would have to go to certain spots in person to find someone to maybe hook up with.

hang out with, whatever you do. And the police in big cities would place undercover cops in these spaces to try and trick people into giving them a little, you know, a little handy in a bush. Now, as soon as someone would make like any kind of sexual move towards the cop,

Boom. You're arrested. This tactic is called entrapment and it happened all the time. It still happens. Like sadly, Afi falls for an undercover cop. Yeah. Afi hits on the cop and then the cop whips out his handcuffs and arrests Afi right then and there.

there. Because he worked for the government, as soon as the arrest occurred, Offy's boss and other higher-ups tried to like keep it a secret. So there was no trial following the arrest. Someone at the State Department uses some cover story saying Offy was supposed to meet, you know, someone on official government business and that's why he was there. The note helps downgrade his charge so it's less serious, but

Still, he now had a record associated with being gay. So because of this, Afi is fired. But Afi, he was a good worker and through some connections, he was able to get like a new job in a different area. And he's bouncing right back. He

He becomes other people's assistants over the next few years, but sadly his career takes a nosedive after this. The government finds out that Afi was openly gay and they tell him that someone is going to find out he's gay and blackmail him into like handing over top secret information.

So Afi defends himself saying essentially like, yes, I'm gay, but I'm not a communist. If I'm open about it, like how could I be blackmailed for it? Even Afi's boss was like defending him, but it didn't matter. And Afi was forced to resign from his job yet again.

The senators heading the investigation tell everyone that there are thousands more people in the government just like Afi. And even though Afi didn't get fired for trading secrets, there was now a face to the investigation.

And it didn't matter that, you know, Afi was quote-unquote "normal" and good at his job. The government was hellbent on making it clear that the people they were interrogating were not normal. They said that they had like mental problems and were a liability for the government.

So the Hoey Commission wanted there to be an official record that like this was true and not just the government's opinion. So they bring in like a bunch of people into court to testify in front of the committee. And many of the people who testified said that they felt queer people were mentally ill and not fit for government work. Now the people running this investigation were thrilled when people agreed with them.

But of course, like some people started to question their beliefs, especially people from the medical community who were called to testify. Now they refused to be bullied into saying that there was scientific evidence that queer people were a security threat. After all of these testimonies, the committee released the findings to the public.

And the document was called the Hoey Report. Now, it claimed that within the last three years, there were 5,000 homosexuals who had jobs in either the military or civilian workforces. And it described the people as weak, unsuitable for government work, and again, a security threat.

The report mentioned the opinions of people who defended the queer community like the doctors, but the report also called those doctors unrealistic and said that these people basically had their heads in the sand. Yeah, doctors, okay. In one line, the report sealed the fate of so many queer people.

It read, quote, one homosexual can pollute a government office, end quote. This Hoey Report was like a nail in the coffin of the queer community in the United States. And the effect of the Hoey Report and all the government activity we've talked about is hard to like really fully describe because so

So little of the damages were actually recorded. The public records stopped after someone was fired. Like, they don't talk about how the families or their lives were ruined forever. Also, it became such a dangerous time to be openly queer, so most of the names of the people who were affected by these reports are unknown. Like, essentially, we're trapped.

If you quit with too much heat on you, then the government might file your name under the label homosexual or perverse. So like you wouldn't be able to work again. Here's the crazy thing. According to historian David K. Johnson, after all these hearings and accusations and testimonies, there was never any hard evidence.

Quote, military intelligence officials could not point to a single example of a gay American citizen who had betrayed classified information. End quote, end quote.

But it didn't matter because it was pretty much impossible to fight back. That is until November of 1950 when five men in Los Angeles decided to do something about all this freaking BS. You know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round? I mean, it fits you just right. So you wear it all the time.

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So they wanted to do something to help not only themselves, but as many queer people as they possibly could. So these five men decided to create a secret club and they called it the Mattachine Society.

We've talked about the Mattachine Society in our season one episode on the Stonewall Riot. So if you haven't heard that, I would say give that a listen. The idea behind the Mattachine Society was that queer people should band together and like fight for their civil rights. And the Mattachine Society had to find a way to help, but still keep their identities private. Not only were these all queer men, but some of them were also married. So we don't know if their spouses knew, but being found out would mean like

the end of their lives and careers, but also if they were married, it would screw over their families and everyone involved. Things were so secretive that the members wouldn't allow themselves to like be photographed together. So one of the Mattachine leaders once said, "We lived in terror almost every day of our lives." But if the group stayed secret forever, they also knew like they wouldn't accomplish their goals.

Right? So it was kind of like, hmm. Eventually they had to do something. But before they had even really decided on a platform, one was basically handed to them. One of the founding members was a man named Dale Jennings. So Dale was a writer and dancer.

And he went to school in Denver before moving to Los Angeles with big dreams of becoming a famous novelist. And he was pretty successful. He had three novels published in his lifetime. And one of them even got made into a movie in the 70s. One night on Friday, March 21st, 1952,

Dale was like walking down the street in LA. He's just minding his own business. He stops and he goes into a public bathroom near a place called Westlake Park. And at this time it was known as like a cruising spot. Now, according to Dale, he just goes in to use the bathroom and then he leaves. But when he does, there's a tall man who was following him.

Dale's walking and he's like freaked out a bit, but he just tries to ignore this man. So he starts going towards the movie theater. And instead of going inside, Dale thinks I'll just like go home. And then maybe this guy will just kind of like leave me alone. So he's walking and he like makes his way back to the apartment, but this freaking creep is still following him.

Yeah, like stalker, right? Run, bitch, run. So Dale starts to pick up the pace. I mean, at this point, he's worried that this guy might try to like rob him, rape him. He doesn't know, but this ain't right. So Dale makes it back to his apartment, but this guy manages to follow him inside the building. He ends up breaking into Dale's apartment. Now, Dale trying to stay calm, but this intruder starts yelling

acting weird right away. Like he's not like a normal intruder. He's a different intruder. This intruder like goes and lays down on Dale's bed. I mean, first of all, don't you want to rob me first? Like what? But he lays down on Dale's bed and he's demanding Dale have sex with him. Dale's like, what the hell is going on? So Dale yells at this man to get out, but the man, he refuses. He's like, have sex with me. So the intruder gets up,

off of the bed and walks right up to Dale and he grabs Dale's hand and tries to force it down his pants. Dale is resisting and is yelling at him to get the hell out. Like what are you doing? Get out, get out, right? So as soon as the intruder gets a good grip on Dale's hand, he then pulls out handcuffs and slaps them on Dale's wrists. I know, I was like, whoa. But Dale realizes that this was an undercover cop.

What? He arrests Dale and he marshes Dale outside and forces him into a police car. Now inside the car, two officers, they start making fun of Dale and threatened to beat him up. So they got him in the car and they're slowly driving around town, interrogating him about his job and his life.

while he's in the car. And Dale just totally helpless. They drive around the park a couple more times before finally taking Dale to the police station. And while he's there, he gets charged with lewd vagrancy, which is essentially like waiting around and looking for sex. Now this was the most common charge that came along with entrapment. Then for a couple of hours after this, Dale wasn't allowed to make any phone calls. And when

When he finally is, he calls the Mattachine Society. So mind you, it's like 3:00 AM and they managed to scrape together some money to bail Dale out. And finally at 6:30 AM, Dale leaves. He tells the Mattachine Society like everything that just happened. In the 50s, I mean, if you were a gay man caught by entrapment and charged with the lewd vagrancy, I mean, you did nothing.

You would pay the fine and just accept the charge. Yes, a lot of times that meant admitting to something that you just did not do. But the alternative was to take the case to court, and that was expensive. It took a long time, and it was almost impossible to get the charge overturned. Now on top of that, you'd most likely have to somehow prove that you weren't gay, and you risked outing more of your friends in the process.

maybe even yourself, I mean it was just a big ol' mess. The legal system was just not on your side. Now since there was usually no jail time for lewd vagrancy, you could move on from the whole incident pretty quickly, you just would hope that like no one looked into your record. But Dale knew that he didn't deserve what happened to him. So at the next meeting of the Mattachine Society, Dale announces that he wants to fight back.

So some people applaud him. They're like, hell yeah, you know, like screw that cop.

take him to court, fight it. But not everyone was ready for him to be like bold and public because remember the Mattachine Society was like very secretive. So in the process, their names might be outed, you know? So they vote to create a mini organization called Citizens Committee to Outlaw Entrapment. So they use this committee to raise funds and support for Dale's case. So they printed flyers and they handed them out all around town.

I mean, they were putting flyers on the beach, the bookstores, and cruising spots. Anywhere they could get a flyer into someone's hands. People then would like start to write letters in support of Dale. Some people would even send in money for Dale's legal aid. And the whole case became bigger than Dale could have ever imagined. People were determined to not let the government ruin yet another person's life.

So Dale looks for a lawyer and he finally finds one named George Shibley. So in July 1952, Dale's case showed up in court. His lawyer argues against the charge and he's feisty. Dale actually admits to the judge that yes, he's a gay man. Like full stop. Honestly, nobody was expecting that.

Shibley argued that Dale did nothing wrong, saying, quote, the only perverts in this courtroom is the arresting officer, unquote. Oh, shit. You know, snaps. So when the jury deliberates, all but one of them is ready to clear Dale's name. But there was one person who had major, like, lock him up energy. And this ended up happening.

in a hung jury because of this one guy. Now, normally this would mean a retrial, but the district attorney refuses. I guess it was close enough and Dale walks free. Now, it might've happened because of a technicality, but in the end, it's a victory.

Now, we're bringing this up because this is the first time anyone has ever beaten the system of entrapment. It's considered the first victory for gay rights in the United States. So now, Mattachine is ready to rumble. I mean, they start heavily publicizing their victory, and they genuinely felt like this would move things in the right direction, right? But then, the opposite happens.

In 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower signed an executive order that added sexuality to the list of reasons why someone could not work for a government office. Now this was seen as a huge blow to the community. Even people making laws were against them. Things didn't start to change until 1956 when a man named Frank Kameni was arrested. So a police officer had been spying on Frank and another man

like having consensual relations in a public bathroom. Frank paid the $50 fine and like tried to move on with his life. A year later, he was working for the government in Hawaii as a MAPS expert. I know, I was like, ooh. He was a great employee, good at his job. And just like he wanted, he had moved on from being arrested and like having a record, you know? But somehow his employers found out about his arrest and he was fired for being gay.

And instead of giving up, Frank took the case to court in 1959. So originally he lost, but he wasn't gonna give up. He reached out to the Mattachine Society and he knew he had done nothing wrong. So the goal was to like get a retrial. This time he would argue that homosexuality was quote, "good in a moral sense."

His argument was the same one that Offie had used years ago. An openly queer person could not be blackmailed. In 1963, Frank testified in front of Congress and he became the first openly gay man to do so. But...

Even that didn't grant him a retrial. Now, Frank kept working towards civil rights. He was a big organizer of marches and protests. Sadly, Frank never got his day in court, but he made the Mattachine Society more well known to the public. All this hard work and refusal to give up led to the end of the Lavender Scare in 1975. Damn, that went on for a long time.

But that was the year that the Civil Service Commission changed its rules. Now you couldn't discriminate against a government employee based on their sexuality. Government jobs became a slightly safer place.

Didn't stop the people from still hating on them, you know? Shit. I mean, these are only a few stories that we know of because so many of the names we found online, it didn't give, didn't have details. I mean, the people we talked about today stood out because they did have government connections, but also like they fought back, you know, like Frank and Dale and Afi.

Because of the lavender scare, at least 10,000 people lost their jobs. And even if they didn't lose their jobs, tens of thousands more had their lives ruined. Some people lost their families, their livelihood, and some people even took their own lives because of it.

Stories like this also kind of remind us that being able to be open and identify as your true self is a privilege we really haven't had for that long. And we have the brave people who fought back against the lavender scare to thank for that. I read that a bar in New York called Julius's holds a monthly celebration in honor of the work the Mattachine Society did. So if you go there, take a picture, let me know, tell me how it is. But...

Maybe have a drink in their honor, you know? Because God knows they deserve it.

Now this episode is all about how unchecked power in the government can lead to some really horrible things. And that abuse of power isn't just reserved for politicians. Anyone in a position of authority can exploit their status. Like some very specific doctors who played it fast and loose with medical care all in the name of fame and money. Oh shit.

Next week, I'm going to talk about some doctors who had some major impact on the most influential people at the time. Oh yeah. These two guys operated in the shadows and their actions changed pop culture forever. Oh, just you wait. Come back next week for the dark history of evil doctors.

Well, friends, thank you for hanging out with me today. You can join me over on my YouTube where you can watch these episodes on Thursday after the podcast airs. And while you're there, you can also catch my murder mystery and makeup. Don't forget to like and subscribe and leave a comment down below because I'd love to hear your guys' reactions to today's story. Now let's read a couple of comments you guys have left me. Ravens Ridge Spa left me a comment saying, quote,

"My household found you about three months ago "and we have learned so much. "From the Appalachian region of Tennessee, much love. "Thank you for educating us and it being the most fun. "History rocks." Aw, thanks, I love that. I love that so much because that's all. I just wanna learn and I want you guys to learn with me and it makes me happy to know that you guys are learning too. Warms my heart. Thank you so much. I'm glad you guys are learning.

Me too, it's so beautiful. Donna Gardner 3932 left us a comment on our pigeons episode saying quote, "If it flies, it spies. My seven-year-old son told me this. Sending love to you all from Wyoming, USA." If it flies, it spies? Wow, I never thought about that, Donna. What's your seven-year-old doing?

I'm gonna really think about that. That kind of like, if it flies, it spies. I could see that. Okay, all right. I like your seven-year-old. Tubby Tilly left us an episode suggestion saying, quote, "I would love a Bailey Sarian deep dive into the Oregon Trail or even homesteading in the early days of America. Your takes are always fun as well as informative. Thank you for being so curious." End quote.

Again, I love that. That's so nice. Honestly, are we talking about Oregon Trail the game? I couldn't ever beat that game. I would always die like so quickly. But I guess with that being said, I really don't even know anything about the Oregon Trail. So that kind of is a good idea because my first thought is the video game and therefore, I should probably learn more about it, huh?

I do follow a couple people on TikTok who do homesteading and like I kind of like don't like it but I like can't stop watching. It's not that I don't like it, it's just like what are you doing? You know? I don't know. I feel like they're up to something. Anyways thank you for watching! I appreciate you. Don't forget again to leave a comment down below because maybe you'll be featured in our next episode. And hey if you don't know, Dark History is an Audioboom original.

A special thank you to our expert, Dr. Craig M. Lofton. And I'm your host, Bailey Sarian. I hope you have a good day today. You make good choices. Be safe out there and I'll be talking to you next week. Goodbye.

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I'm Stanzi Potenza. And I'm Brad Padre. Launching June 13th is our new podcast, Late to the Party. In this post-ironic chat show, we'll show you a window into our world of crazy post-ironic thoughts. An unlikely friendship founded on a shared love for riffs, ranting, and getting absolutely wrecked.

Consider this an invitation to our inside jokes. You're late to the party, but no one cool ever shows up on time. Follow Late to the Party on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to this kind of stuff.