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

Episode Date: May 8, 2024

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! I recently came across this story about something called “The Lavender Scare.” I was like omg… first of all, what a beautiful name. Sounds nice, what is it? And turns out, it was a government sponsored witch hunt, hellbent on ruining the lives of millions of gay people in America… and nobody really talks about it. If you were targeted in the Lavender Scare, your life was over. Pack your bags. You’re moving back to Oklahoma. I appreciate you for coming by, and tune in next week for more Dark History.  Want some cool Bailey Merch?  Shop Dark History Merch: https://www.baileysarian.com _______ You can find the Dark History podcast on Apple, Spotify, wherever you listen to your podcasts, and every Thursday here on my YouTube for the visual side of things.  Apple Podcast- https://www.apple.co/darkhistory Dark History Merch-  https://www.baileysarian.com _______ FOLLOW ME AROUND   Tik Tok: https://bit.ly/3e3jL9v Instagram: http://bit.ly/2nbO4PR Facebook: http://bit.ly/2mdZtK6 Twitter: http://bit.ly/2yT4BLV Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2mVpXnY Youtube: http://bit.ly/1HGw3Og Snapchat: https://bit.ly/3cC0V9d  Discord: https://discord.gg/BaileySarian RECOMMEND A STORY HERE: [e-mail]  Business Related Emails: [e-mail] Business Related Mail:  Bailey Sarian  4400 W. Riverside Dr., Ste 110-300  Burbank, CA 91505

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So go to trylifemd.com to have your eligibility checked right now. Get started today at trylifemd.com. That's T-R-Y-L-I-F-E-M-D.com. 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 people in America.

If you were targeted, your life was over. Pack your bags, you're moving back to Oklahoma. 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 subscribe because listen, I come out with hot, juicy history goss every week and you don't wanna 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 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. 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 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. Hey, what is happening there? You too? Yeah, the bird and the skeleton. Is Paul giving you a massage now? I see how it is. First I'm left out of the group chat.

Now I'm left out of the group massage. I do all the work around here, you guys. It's not fair. I want a massage maybe. Well, that's fine. I don't need your bony hands anyway, Paul, because I have ZocDoc. You know, on ZocDoc, you can book doctors, but like, did you know you can also find and book massage therapists? Oh yeah, even Thai massage, compression massage.

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With ZocDoc you've got more options than you know. No Paul, no! I don't want a massage from you anymore. I just booked a massage appointment on ZocDoc. Go to ZocDoc.com slash dark history and download the ZocDoc app for free. Then find and book a top rated doctor today. That's ZocDoc, Z-O-C-D-O-C dot com slash dark history. ZocDoc dot com slash dark history and get that massage. Not from Paul.

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. Oh, Gasparilla. 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,

"'While I cannot take the time to name all the men in the State Department who have been named as members of the Communist Party, I have here in my hand a list of 205, end quote. Yeah, he's waving that like, 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 random people who worked in the government who he believed were potential communists. Then he hands this list off to 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 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, 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 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 I promise, 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 were just trying 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 gonna 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. Honestly, it's just like the witch trials. Remember, 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 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. Oooh, backfired. 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 no one asked for.

So Joan was telling me that her family is migrating back for the summer, right girl? Yeah, she was saying she's a little stressed and it seems to be showing on her skin or maybe the feathers we should say huh? I know you want to look gorgeous, flawless, glistening for the relatives but I mean you can't just sit there and do nothing you know you gotta do something. Brush your hair a little come on. Just hoping isn't gonna make anything change. I mean haven't you heard about me talk about

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Then use our code dark history at sign up and you'll get your first visit for only $5. A big thank you to Apostrophe for partnering with me on today's episode. Now let's get back to today's story. 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 like not as cute. You know? Cause 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. 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 US 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 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. Hm? Oh yeah. So McCarthy was stunned when the army 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. Do you ever mix the white Welch's grape juice with 7UP? 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. Also 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 could actually watch it on YouTube. Like Roy, he just shakes his head like, 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, 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. 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, 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. You know? 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 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 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. 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, Hoey, all aboard! Hoey train! So 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 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. The Hawaii 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, these gay people were... they were communists. Yeah, like that's because they were gay. Okay.

And they had weaseled their way into the government to spy for the enemy. So fucking dramatic. 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. Paul, did I tell you? I am so proud of you for getting

that wig business off the ground. Bone and Cone, great name. What's that Paul? I know, trust me. Sometimes it can feel impossible for your website to stand out online. I mean you you did the first step. You got the website up. Now what? You know, it's not just about launching. It's all about really having a great website that like really grabs people's attention. So if you want to make a lasting impact and like get your business notice online, you're going to want to check out Squarespace. Squarespace is the one-stop shop, all in one website platform to help business owners both

stand out and succeed online. It doesn't matter if you're launching your business today or managing a major brand, Squarespace makes it so simple to create an eye-catching website. Oh yes, they have this thing called Fluid Engine, but it's like this cutting-edge website design system, and it kind of feels like a cheat code when you're using it, you know? You're like, this is a little too easy and my website looks bomb. And look I know how important visibility is when it comes to an online presence. When getting eyes and ears on your business is huge right? But the best part about Squarespace is that you don't need to be a genius coder to build an amazing website. They've got these beautiful templates and you can customize every design detail with easy to use drag and drop technology.

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to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. You're welcome, Paul. 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, Afi, 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, Bullet and Offy 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. Lame. But this was mostly because Offy was basically openly gay. So they made fun of him. So Offy, 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 Bullitt's 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, Offie 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 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. 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. Because he worked for the government, as soon as the arrest occurred, Ofi's boss and other higher-ups tried to keep it a secret. So there was no trial following the arrest. Someone at the State Department uses some cover story

saying Ofi was supposed to meet 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, Offie is fired. But Offie, 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 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 Offie. And even though Offie didn't get fired for trading secrets, there was now a face to the investigation. And it didn't matter that, you know, Offie was quote unquote normal and good at his job.

The government was hell bent 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 really fully describe

because so little of the damages were actually recorded. The public records stopped after someone was fired. 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. 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 fricking BS. Hey me, Paul and Joan, we had a pool party this last weekend. Ah, it was a riot. Paul was making cocktails, we were BBQing, and I think Joan made out with the pool boy. Ah, ah, yeah you did, girl.

I saw, we all saw, okay? It was kind of embarrassing, whatever. Now the problem is, when you go that hard, you know, it eventually catches up with you, right? And then you're left feeling all dehydrated and just like, ugh, why? And that's exactly when we bring in the liquid IV! This summer we are going to make sure to include our liquid IV to keep us hydrated, aren't we girls? Impa? I mean, a single stick of Liquid IV makes ordinary hydration extra ordinary.

They have this amazing thing called LIV HydroScience. They essentially figured out the perfect balance of electrolytes and eight essential vitamins and clinically tested nutrients that will turn water into the most incredible hydration you've ever had. It's like water 2.0. Yeah. I mean I've talked about their Concord Grape. It's like water 2.0, yeah. I mean, I've talked about their Concord Grape.

Let me tell you, it's my favorite. And they also have strawberry lemonade flavor. Oh, oh, oh, it's good. For summer, you gotta try the white peach and the lemon lime. I mean, it's the perfect flavor for that little summer BBQ action we've got going on. So Joan, Paul and I, we're gonna have to mix up

some liquid IV, aren't we? Yeah. I mean, it's so convenient, right? All you have to do is like open up your little pack and then you mix it into water. And like just one stick plus 16 ounces of water hydrates better than water alone. Now ain't that something?

But unfortunately, I mean, I don't think really anything can bring Paul back to life. Turn your ordinary water into extra ordinary hydration with Liquid IV. You can get 20% off your first order of Liquid IV when you go to liquidiv.com and use our code darkhistory at checkout. That's 20% off your first order

when you shop better hydration today using promo code dark history at liquidiv.com. Let's go girls. 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

spouse is new 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 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 they wouldn't accomplish their goals. So it was kind of like,

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, you know, 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 was 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. Now, 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 fricking 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 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 wanna rob me first? Like what? But he lays down on Dale's bed. I mean, first of all, don't you wanna 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. It'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 wrist. 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 threaten 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 like while he's in the car and Dale just totally helpless. They drive around the park a couple

more times but for 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 he finally is, he calls the Mattachine Society. So mind you, it's like 3 a.m. And they managed to scrape together some money to bail Dale out. And finally at 6.30 a.m., 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 a 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 old 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 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, screw that cop. Take him to court, fight it. But not everyone was ready for him to be bold and public because remember, the Mattachine Society was very secretive.

So in the process, their names might be outed. 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 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. Schieble argued that Dale did nothing wrong, saying, quote, the only perverts in this courtroom

is the arresting officer, end quote. 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 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. 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 Kamini 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 you know he wasn't gonna give up. He reached out to the Mattes 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. Frank kept working toward civil rights. He was a big organizer of marches and protests. Sadly, Frank never got his day in court, but he made the Mattishtain 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.

I mean 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. Yeah, 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 Offy. Because of the lavender scare, at least 10,000 people lost their jobs. And even if they, like 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's 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, end quote.

Aw, thanks, I love that. I love that so much because that's all. I just want to learn and I want you guys to learn with me and it makes me happy to know that you guys are learning too. It 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 of 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 audio boom 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. One, two, three, four, five, six. Ah!