In the 1950s United States homosexuality was not merely considered unacceptable it was illegal through sodomy laws. During the Cold War there was a rush to fire homosexuals from government jobs, called the lavender scare. Homosexuals were considered a security risk as they, like Communists, were considered godless, morally weak, and a threat to the traditional family. Many queer people were fired from government and teaching jobs and faced discrimination and hatred.
A 2009 interview with Lillian Faderman about her experiences as a lesbian in the 50s give us insight into what life was like for queer woman in that time period.
Consider: According to the interview, how did lesbian women struggle during the 1950s?
By: Rita McLoughlin
What was it like coming out as a working class lesbian in the 1950s?
The 1950s were probably the worst time ever to be a lesbian in the US. I look at what the Western world is like now for lesbians and it's a different universe. Of course I recognize that young lesbians might have trouble with their families and still feel that there are certain jobs where they can't be out, but they have no conception of the constant fear lesbians lived in then…Once I jaywalked across the street holding hands with my first lover who was a very butch woman - she was dressed, as it was considered in those days, like a man. Now everyone wears pants and tailored jackets but then that wasn't the case. This policeman stopped us, ostensibly for jaywalking, made us get into the car and drove around the block and parked. It was very threatening. He made her get out of the car. I had no idea what he would do. I thought I was going to be arrested but he just lectured me, saying I didn't look like somebody like Jan (the woman's name) and that she was bad business. Finally he just let us both go…I heard many worse horror stories of butches and femmes who were picked up and sometimes raped, and I heard horror stories about raids on bars. There were many times when I got to bars just after a raid had taken place, where the bar was empty with just vice squad officers around.
Could you tell us about how lesbians were treated during the witch hunts of Senator Joseph McCarthy?
It was particularly middle class women who were concerned about their livelihood during the McCarthy era. If you were a teacher or you worked in any kind of government position and it was discovered that you were lesbian, you could be fired on the grounds of immorality. There were witch-hunts of lesbians working in government positions and they were frequently fired…
What were the main differences between the middle class lesbian groups and organizations and the working class lesbians' bar culture?
…for the most part middle class lesbians were terrified of the bars because they were often raided. That was true in all the big US cities. Lesbian or lesbian and gay bars weren't safe and the names of everyone who was arrested would be in the newspapers. You would risk losing your job, and middle class lesbians who had extensive training as teachers or social workers or nurses didn't want to blow it all by being arrested. Instead they would have house parties and extended circles of friends who could do things that they considered safe.
For working class lesbians it would have been much harder to invite 20, 30 or 40 friends over to your small digs. So the only place to socialize or form a community was in the bar.
For many working class lesbians the bar culture was an absolutely wonderful thing because that's where they formed friendship circles. They could be who they were - if they were butch they could dress in butch garbs.
Yet it was so dangerous. There was also another danger. Alcoholism was so big in the lesbian community in the 1950s and 1960s because you couldn't stay in the bar unless you bought a drink, and you couldn't nurse one drink all night: you had to have several if you wanted to stay.