Sec. 2. Findings
367 words·~2 min read·
/bill/116/s/1252/is/section-2A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress makes the following findings: During the so-called Lavender Scare , at least 1,000 people were wrongfully dismissed from the Department of State for alleged homosexuality during the 1950s and well into the 1960s. According to the Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Department of State employees were forced out of the Department on the grounds that their sexual orientation ostensibly rendered them vulnerable to blackmail and made them security risks. In addition to those wrongfully terminated, many other patriotic Americans were prevented from joining the Department due to a screening process that was put in place to prevent the hiring of those who, according to the findings of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, seemed like they might be gay or lesbian .
Congress bears a special measure of responsibility for these discriminatory actions as the Department’s actions were in part in response to congressional investigations into sex perversion of Federal employees , reports on the employment of moral perverts by Government Agencies , hearings and pressure placed on the Department through the appropriations process and congressional complaints that Foggy Bottom was rampant with homosexuals who were sympathetic to Communism and vulnerable to blackmail .
Between 1950 and 1969, the Department of State was required to report on the number of homosexuals fired each year as part of their annual appeals before Committees on Appropriations. Although the worst effects of the Lavender Scare are behind us, as recently as the early 1990s, the Department of State’s diplomatic security office was investigating State personnel thought to be gay and driving them out of government service as security risks . In 1994, Secretary of State Warren Christopher issued a prohibition against discrimination in the Department of State, including that based on sexual orientation.
In 1998, President William Jefferson Clinton signed Executive Order 13087 barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. On January 9, 2017, Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement regarding the Lavender Scare , saying, On behalf of the Department, I apologize to those who were impacted by the practices of the past and reaffirm the Department’s steadfast commitment to diversity and inclusion for all our employees, including members of the LGBTI community. .
Connectionstraces to 1
Traces to 1 document