Lavender Scare: Hoey Committee Final Report

In the years after World War II, the U.S. government launched the second “Red Scare,” when individuals such as Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin instigated widespread panic regarding the spread of communism. Along with communists, homosexuals were also thought to be disloyal and were subject to surveillance, intimidation, and discrimination by the U. S. Government. By 1950, the belief that homosexuals working for the government threatened national security led to the creation of “The Hoey Committee,” named for Senator Clyde Hoey of North Carolina. The committee was charged with investigating the extent to which homosexuals were employed within government agencies and determining how to deal with the problem. These investigations into the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals during this time is often referred to as the “The Lavender Scare.”

Below is an excerpt from the Hoey Committee’s final report, which served as the foundation for Executive Order 10450. Issued by President Eisenhower in 1953, the Executive Order officially banned homosexuals from employment within the government. Note on language: the term “homosexual” was in widespread use in the 1950s and 1960s, by both law enforcement and LGBTQ+ individuals themselves. The term began to fall out of favor in the late 1960s as the term “gay” became more commonly used. In addition, the term “sex pervert” was an insult in the 1950s and its use is not appropriate outside the context of this historical document.

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