""Like the original Lavender Scare, this is a manufactured moral panic weaponized through bureaucracy," Schleusener told the Washington Blade. "Back then, the State Department bragged about driving queer employees to suicide; now we're seeing trans service members taking their lives under the pressure of these policies. The difference today is that social media makes the harassment instantaneous and far-reaching, even as queer visibility also makes it harder to shove an entire community back into the closet.""
""There have been surface signs of the sort of harassment and discrimination that might be going on against federal employees. The temperature is clear from certain incidents that have been made public, like when an FBI agent was fired for having a Pride flag on his desk and the administration's decision not to commemorate World AIDS Day. However, Schleusener indicates that behind these already shocking headlines, the situation for federal employees is even more horrifying.""
A modern parallel to the Lavender Scare is portrayed where LGBTQ+ federal employees face coordinated harassment and discrimination. Teams within the federal government are reported to conduct anti-LGBTQ+ witch hunts, and a MAGA influencer is compared to Joe McCarthy. The historical State Department purge that drove queer employees to suicide is linked to current policies contributing to trans service members' deaths. Social media amplifies harassment but increased queer visibility complicates attempts to erase the community. Public incidents include an FBI agent's firing over a Pride flag and the administration's omission of World AIDS Day. Deeper, more horrifying abuses are suggested beyond these headlines.
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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