Dead Professors Society: How the Lavender Scare Impacted the Lives of Educators.
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2015-08-15
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en
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Throughout American history, white men have had difficulty defining themselves and their gender. Manhood and masculinity have continually been redefined since the Revolutionary War. In the 1950s, the threat of the Cold War, fear of communism and perceptions and ideals of manhood of the time came together to create a suffocating atmosphere prejudiced against homosexuals or those who sexually deviated from the norm. Communism and homosexuality became tied through misconceived notions of masculinity and gay men suffered from a social backlash that pushed them deeply into the closet. This phenomenon was named the Lavender Scare. This thesis aims to examine how homosexuals, and specifically educators, lived their lives with the restrictions placed upon them by government controlled measures and social pressure. Through a historical and political perspective, and with the use of primary sources, this thesis explores the lives! of two p rofessors to determine what the impact of the social climate at the time was on their lives.
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