In 1953 President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued an executive order that banned homosexuals from holding jobs in the federal government or receiving a security clearance.
Over the next few decades, more than 10,000 suspected gay and lesbian individuals were fired from their jobs or forced to resign, thanks to tactics reminiscent of the anti-Communist Red Scare unfolding concurrently. This little-known history served as creative fodder for Josh Howard, producer and director of the documentary film “The Lavender Scare,” and Topher Payne, playwright of “Perfect Arrangement.”
Host Frank Stasio talks with Howard, Payne, and actors Benoit Sabourin and Lauren Knott about the witch hunt carried out against homosexuals in government service and the creative works it inspired. “Perfect Arrangement” is on stage at Raleigh Little Theater from Oct. 27 through Nov. 12.
