From 1950 to 1954, President Eisenhower and Senator McCarthy of Wisconsin led a purge of over 2,400 federal employees, citing them as “subversives” or “homosexuals.” McCarthy claimed 90% of the firings were for these reasons.
When the Evening Star reported numbers in March 1954, the government figures only showed that slightly over 420 employees were labeled “subversive.” But nearly 200 were fired for “sex perversion”—a vague charge that included indecent acts but was mostly coded language for removing gay employees and those perceived as LGBTQ+. The numbers were nowhere near what they had led the public to believe.
The reason for firing queer employees was multifaceted. On the surface it was believed that queer employees would be blackmailed and leak classified information. Sensational stories about diplomats at sex parties with Soviet spies would reinforce these perceptions. It also allowed for Eisenhower’s administration to replace government workers that were hired under the Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman administrations.
The consequences of these firings shaped the U.S. government for decades. LGBTQ+ individuals were formally banned from top positions in federal employment until 1995, when then-President Bill Clinton lifted the policy. An openly queer top official would not be seen in the federal government until 2021 when Pete Buttigieg would lead the Department of Transportation as the first openly-gay Secretary, and Dr. Rachel Levine in Health and Human Services as the first openly-trans Assistant Secretary.
The immediate effects of purging qualified professionals were felt across agencies, most notably in foreign policy. The “China Hands”—experts on East Asia—were driven out for alleged Communist sympathies, gutting the State Department’s knowledge on the region. The intelligence failures caused by McCarthy-era purges weakened America’s understanding of communist movements in Asia, leading to miscalculations that contributed both to U.S. policy failures during the Chinese Civil War and the later escalation of the Vietnam War under the flawed Domino Theory.
Today, the Director of National Intelligence fired over 100 intelligence employees for alleged “sexual behavior” at work. This included participating in two workplace chat groups: LBTQA and IC_Pride_TWG. Some of these individuals seemingly lost their jobs simply for engaging in discussions centered on LGBTQ+ culture.
The excuses are different, but the pattern is eerily familiar. Women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ professionals are increasingly dismissed, undermined, and labeled as “DEI hires” to justify their exclusion in the same way “security risk” was applied to LGBTQ+ employees in the 50s. LGBTQ+ workers have been targeted in government purges before—today, history is unfolding in real time. If you’ve been affected by recent DEI rollbacks, workplace exclusions, or dismissals, your experience is part of this history. Email or DM us on social media if you’re interested in sharing.
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