The Lavender Scare

         

The Lavender Scare is the first documentary film to tell the little-known story of an unrelenting campaign by the federal government to identify and fire all employees suspected of being homosexual.

In 1953, President Eisenhower declared gay men and lesbians to be a threat to the security of the country and therefore unfit for government service.  In doing so, he triggered the longest witch hunt in American history. Over the next four decades, tens of thousands of government workers would lose their jobs for no reason other than their sexual orientation.
 
But the actions of the government had an unintended effect.  They inadvertently helped ignite the gay rights movement.

In 1957, after thousands had lost their jobs, a Harvard-trained astronomer named Frank Kameny became the first person to fight his dismissal.  His attempts to regain his job evolved into a lifelong fight for the rights of LGBTQ people.
The Lavender Scare is a compelling story of one man’s fight for justice. And it is a chilling reminder of how easy it can be, during a time of fear and uncertainty, to trample the rights of an entire class of people in the name of patriotism and national security.

       

      

"A gripping, nimbly assembled documentary...  vivid, disturbing and rousing."
Los Angeles Times

"Fascinating and horrifying — and timely."
The New York Times

“An essential and absorbing documentary."
Variety

"The touching finale leaves you with a sense of resiliency."
San Francisco Chronicle

“The eye-opening documentary should be required viewing."
IndieWire

“Josh Howard’s powerful film makes sure we don’t forget this lamentable time in history.”
The Advocate

 “Completely engrossing… the film delivers its impact with honesty and heart.”
Gay Desert Guide, Palm Springs
 
“An exceptional documentary, beautiful, carefully constructed and inspiring."
Psychology Today    

           

      

Josh Howard is a producer and broadcast executive with more than 25 years of experience in news and documentary production.

He has been honored with 24 Emmy Awards, mostly for his work on the CBS News broadcast 60 Minutes. Josh began his career at 60 Minutes reporting stories with correspondent Mike Wallace. He was later named senior producer and then executive editor of the broadcast.  Following that, he served as executive producer of the weeknight edition of 60 Minutes.

Josh then joined NBC Universal as Vice President of Long Form Programming for CNBC. In that position, he created a unit that produced a series of award-winning documentaries focusing on American business.  The 90-minute film Big Brother, Big Business, which explored the ways in which corporate America works hand-in-hand with the government to collect information about the personal habits of private citizens, won the Emmy Award for Best Documentary on a Business Topic, one of three Emmy Awards he earned for CNBC.