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Did someone ask about the history of anti-LGBTQ discrimination in America? As @KevinMKruse would say, let's dig in.
@KevinMKruse In the early 1950s, the State Department began systematically rooting out and firing gay and lesbian employees, on the theory that they were "security risks." 
@KevinMKruse In 1953 President Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10450, which launched a purge of gay people from all federal government jobs
@KevinMKruse In 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act banned homosexuals from entering the country. In 1967 a gay immigrant challenged it, but in a 7-2 decision the Supreme Court upheld the law, deferring to the fact that “Congress commanded that homosexuals not be allowed to enter.”
@KevinMKruse Police routinely raided gay bars and arrested the patrons on catchall charges like "disorderly conduct." In this 1964 raid, 109 people were arrested, and Chicago newspapers printed the name, age, and address of almost every one. Many were immediately fired from their jobs.
@KevinMKruse Did you notice, above the main headline, the mention of 8 teachers and a principal? Gay people were barred from all government jobs in the mid 20th century, but especially teaching - people thought they shouldn't be around kids. The Cook County sheriff soon urged a crackdown.
@KevinMKruse Raiding gay bars was pure political gold for the sheriff - who was campaigning for reelection. He kept it up, burnishing his "law and order" credentials. In 1968, that helped him get elected governor of Illinois.
@KevinMKruse Courts upheld the practice of firing people for being gay (still legal today in around half the states). Licensing standards barred gay people from many professions, but teachers remained especially stigmatized.
@KevinMKruse In the 1970s, after Stonewall, more lesbian and gay people came out of the closet. They quickly discovered they could be denied custody of their children solely because of their sexual orientation.
@KevinMKruse Trans people were also routinely fired as a result of transitioning. Also routinely upheld by the courts. Also still legal today in much of the country.
@KevinMKruse In the '70s, a few places passed laws banning antigay discrimination, including Miami-Dade County, where singer Anita Bryant launched a crusade to repeal the law. Her slogan was "Save Our Children." She won.
@KevinMKruse Gay, lesbian, and especially trans people of color are murdered at extremely high rates. In Newark, where I teach, today's annual pride march grew out of protests against the 2003 killing of 15-year-old Sakia Gunn.
@KevinMKruse And tho since the 1990s the Christian right has strategically framed Black and queer civil rights as opposed, Black queer activists have been essential to freedom struggles. Want to know more? Start with the brilliant @ProfessorCrunk on Pauli Murray: salon.com/2015/02/18/bla…
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