I firmly believe in history, especially bad history, stupidly repeating history, because for some reason, I don’t think history applies to them. Or they think that the bad thing is taking people’s throats home and the good thing that they want to defeat is bad.
After the terrible destruction caused by the Second World War and the Nazi Party, the party was banned in Germany as the world never said it again. But now you have AFDWorks around the edge of the country, shocking, but not surprising, not approved by Elon Musk.
That’s the Trump administration US version Also working around the edge or approaching the line of semi-Nazi parties. That happened this week when I refused to say “war” Pete Hegses and FBI Director Kash Patel They The Fear of Lavender The 1950s returned to a time of history when queer workers were not welcomed by the federal government.
Related: Is the US government returning to its era of LGBTQ+ “female travelers”?
The original lavender terror was twins McCarthyismwhen the suspicious communists were kicked out of the government’s ranks. In parallel, queer men and women were hounded, questioned and fired because they were deemed a “security risk.” If you see fellow travelersit gives you an idea of ​​what happened.
The rationale was horrifying – being gay means you are weak, vulnerable to scary emails and unreliable. The federal government has destroyed thousands of careers and lives. Some of those targeted did not recover, and many did not live long enough to see things change. And only a few can fight back.
One of them was Frank Cumenya World War II veteran and Harvard-trained astronomer. He was fired from the Army Map Services in 1957 for being gay. Instead of retreating into the shadows, Kameny fights back, LGBTQ+ Rights movement.
“They said I was a pervert. I told them they were perverts to use the government’s power to persecute people like me.” Kameny once said. He fought the rest of his life, just as the government recognized the dignity of LGBTQ+ people.
When I began working on Capitol Hill in 1987, AIDS trends While the Reagan administration turned its back, it was destroying the community. The lavender fear may no longer be an official policy, but the impact of staying hidden has been prolonged.
Related: 1987, AIDS Quilt, Nancy Pelosi, my fear, fortitude, and my first year looms
For many of us, going out was unthinkable. I wrote about how I sneak up to date a man. A meeting on the street corneronly slides into the cinema after the light has dimmed and sets off before the credits roll.
Life as a closed-ended gay man was interesting to say the least. It was also choking and, worse, horrifying. And ironically, the Reagan administration had a lot of gay men who were closed off.
A few years ago, I spoke to James Kilchick. Secret City: The hidden history of Gay Washington It has been released. Recording and exposing gay status in various eras and administrations in Washington, D.C., can destroy a career.
In short, what Kilchick told me was that in the federal workplace of the 1980s, there were rules that weren’t written in simple workplaces, “don’t get one.” Still, people were still fired. For example, in 1988, the general accounting firm was found to have employees of the National Security Agency. You may be denied clearance If they are suspected of being gay and some are actually dismissed based on that basis. The strange life in government was still full of fear, lavender horror.
That fear has returned. Pete Hegses’ speeches to military generals this week were littered with the patriotic babbling worthy of a host of Fox News weekend. But that included the homophobic dog whi.
Related: Pete Hegses is a waste of time, Trump is a dishonest “sleepy don” at a meeting for military leaders
He opposed the “awakening” culture, and said, “Woke up and warriors who need the military and “There’s no more guys in the dress. “What he was trying to say was that the army was not enveloped in Hegus’s army.
Meanwhile, Kash Patel literally scared the lavender. As an FBI Director, He personally fired A low trainee to display a pride flag on a desk.
First of all, is he anything better? Ah, yes, he does! Keep America safe. Patel shows leadership skills by firing trainees as bad as Hegseth preaching against the “man in the dress.”
We are confident that our enemies are paying attention to the priorities of American “war” secretaries and FBI directors.
Patel has a twist on the flag. The small symbols of identity and belonging were treated by Patel as acts of betrayal. Think about messages you send across the workforce. It’s scary and wrong. For some reason, I think most agents probably realize that it’s wrong too. At least I hope they do.
This is nothing new under Trump. The administration is scrubbing LGBTQ+ content from government websites, erasing transgender protections, and enforcing a toxic culture of silence and fear.
But this week’s actions feel like an escalation. .
The danger is not just for strange federal workers, but for everyone. In the 1950s and even the ’80s, there was a chance that they could simply be suspicious of their co-workers known to be gay. That logic can be quickly returned.
If the Pride Flag costs your work, what else will you be banned tomorrow?
This is another concern. Trump is threatening to fire thousands of government workers during the current shutdown. It doesn’t take much imagination to see how he and the nuisances inside him, men like Patel and Hegses grab the mission of targeting queer employees in particular.
Will the dark times come back? Are gay, straight or other federal workers forced into closets and isolation? Once again, LGBTQ+ people are cast as weak links. We’ve been here before and know how bad it can be.
I think federal employees can summon the courage of Frank Cumenney and countless others who refused to disappear. My guess is that strength is number, and that courage will win.
And if you’re trying to push LGBTQ+ employees too far, I wish Patel and Hegseth good luck.
voice Dedicated to featuring a wide range of moving personal stories and impactful opinions from LGBTQ+ Communities and their allies. visit advocate.com/submit For more information about submission guidelines. The views expressed in the voice story belong to guest writers, columnists and editors, and do not directly represent views of Supporters or parent company, EqualPride.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
