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THE LAVENDER SCARE: Files, Fear & The Closeted State
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What happens when a government decides love is a threat?
In the 1950s, the Lavender Scare quietly purged LGBTQ+ people from government, media, and culture under the same paranoia that fueled McCarthyism.
In this episode of The Queerest Podcast, host Andraé BVR and cultural historian Dr. Nicole Rizzuto unpack this hidden history—from the surveillance of Billie Holiday to the contradictions of J. Edgar Hoover—and trace how fear gave way to resistance through art, testimony, and memory.
With anti-trans laws spreading in 2025, the echoes are chilling, but so is the resilience. This episode reminds us: the fight didn’t start today, and it won’t end here.
Chapters
1. Introduction to the Queerest Podcast (00:00:00)
2. The Lavender Scare: Historical Context (00:01:53)
3. Deep Space Dive with Dr. Rizzuto (00:03:45)
4. Billie Holiday: Persecution and Resistance (00:14:46)
5. Lillian Hellman's Stand Against McCarthy (00:22:48)
6. McCarthyism Then and Now (00:31:29)
7. Queer Resistance and Community Building (00:45:35)
8. Key Takeaways and Finding Our Path (00:58:59)
15 episodes
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