The Lavender Scare 2019 Full Movie Online

The Lavender Scare: A Story of Injustice and Activism

History of the Lavender Scare

With the United States gripped in the panic of the Cold War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower deems homosexuals to be “security risks” and orders the immediate firing of any government employee discovered to be gay or lesbian. It triggers a vicious witch hunt that lasts for forty years and ruins thousands of lives, while thrusting an unlikely hero into the forefront of what would become the modern LGBT rights movement.

Impact of the Lavender Scare

In 1953, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered that the federal government not knowingly hire any homosexual and fire anyone suspected to be homosexual from federal government jobs. The rationale, in this era of the cold war, was that anyone who partook in such sexually perverse behavior would be easily blackmailed or coerced by enemy forces. This order was despite no such case of blackmail or coercion due to homosexual orientation ever having been identified. The specific policy of denying or revoking national security clearance to any homosexual remained on the books as late as 1995. Most federal government employees quietly complied in risking being outed otherwise, as homosexuals were still largely persecuted socially in society.

Heroes of the Lavender Scare

Beyond the largely negative effects of the policy on a number of specific homosexuals and their lives and livelihoods, the history of being homosexual in US society in the preceding twenty-five years is detailed. The WWII era was an especially liberating time, with those entering military service, especially from small towns, meeting other like-minded people for the first time. Milestones that led to the 1995 revocation of the policy are also presented. Two specific individuals are highlighted. One is Franklin Kameny, a Harvard-educated astronomer, who refused to go away quietly when fired in 1957, turning his life to activism and becoming known as the pioneer of LGBT activism in the US. The other is the case of Jamie Shoemaker, who, with Kameny’s help, was the first person in the early 1980s to successfully fight the revocation of his national security clearance solely because he was identified as gay.

Watch The Lavender Scare Full Movie Online

Experience the struggles and triumphs of those affected by the Lavender Scare by watching the full movie online. Learn about the injustices faced and the courage shown by individuals in the fight for equality. Don’t miss this important story that sheds light on a dark chapter in American history.