Lavender Scare in England (jan 1, 1952 – apr 1, 1967)
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In 1952, Sir John Nott-Bower, commissioner of Scotland Yard began to weed out homosexuals from the British Government[107] at the same time as McCarthy was conducting a federal homosexual witch hunt in the US.
The idea is that gay and lesbian employees were susceptible to blackmail and therefore could not be trusted to hold positions of power in government.
Gay men and lesbians were forced into an underground community due to investigations by the government into anyone suspected of being a homosexual. 'Gay men and lesbians would serve as discreet character references for one another on security clearance checks. An unknown number of gay men and lesbians, stripped of their livelihoods, facing embarrassment and unemployment, took their own lives.
In 1954, Alan Turing committed suicide after being prosecuted for homosexuality and given a course of female hormones (chemical castration) by doctors as an alternative to prison.
In 1958, The Homosexual Law Reform Society is founded in the United Kingdom to begin a campaign to make homosexuality legal in the UK.
In 1959, the UK's first gay TV Drama, South, airs
In 1966, The Beaumont Society, a London-based social/support group for people who cross-dress, are transvestite or who are transsexual, was founded.
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