Presidential Document2023-09258
70th Anniversary of the Lavender Scare
Primary source
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Published
May 1, 2023
Signed
April 26, 2023
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 83 (Monday, May 1, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 83 (Monday, May 1, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 26473-26474]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09258]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 83 / Monday, May 1, 2023 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 26473]]
Proclamation 10557 of April 26, 2023
70th Anniversary of the Lavender Scare
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Our Nation has made tremendous progress in advancing
the cause of equality for LGBTQI+ Americans. To keep
building on that progress, we must reflect honestly on
the darkest chapters of our story and on how far we
have come. Seventy years ago, as the Cold War set in,
President Eisenhower signed an Executive Order banning
LGBTQI+ Americans from serving in the Federal
Government. This action codified a shameful chapter in
our Nation's history known as the ``Lavender Scare.''
It was a decades-long period when 5,000 to 10,000
LGBTQI+ Federal employees were investigated, were
interrogated, and lost their jobs simply because of who
they were and whom they loved.
On this anniversary, we acknowledge the importance of
telling the complete history of our Nation, reflecting
on the lives changed by this discrimination, honoring
the courageous Americans who fought to end this
injustice, and celebrating the contributions of today's
proud LGBTQI+ public servants--including members of our
Armed Forces.
Our Nation was founded on the sacred idea that all of
us are created equal and deserve to be treated equally
under our laws. But for so many members of the LGBTQI+
community, hate, discrimination, and isolation
throughout our country's history have denied them the
full promise of America. The Lavender Scare
epitomized--and institutionalized--this injustice. As
LGBTQI+ employees were forced out of the workforce, the
Federal Government attempted to defend its policies by
propagating false and hateful stereotypes--accusing
this community of being a threat to our national
security and unworthy of public trust. Employees who
were fired under these policies often lost future
employment, other opportunities, and even relationships
with their own families. Many endured poverty and
public disgrace. Some took their own lives as a result
of the trauma they had to bear.
While this is a story of profound injustice, it is also
a story of remarkable bravery. From seeking relief in
the courts to picketing in front of the White House,
activists stood up for their rights and helped lay the
foundation for the modern-day LGBTQI+ civil rights
movement. One such trailblazer was Franklin Kameny, an
Army astronomer, who after being fired because he was
gay, dedicated over 50 years of his life to activism
and helping LGBTQI+ workers stand up for their rights.
In 2009, I was proud to meet Frank Kameny in the Oval
Office as President Obama and I officially expanded
many Federal benefits to same-sex partners of
Government employees.
I am equally proud to have mandated additional
protections for the fundamental rights of LGBTQI+
Americans. I have appointed barrier-breaking LGBTQI+
leaders to the highest levels of Government, including
the first openly gay Senate-confirmed Cabinet
Secretary, the first two openly transgender Americans
to be confirmed by the United States Senate, and the
first open lesbian to achieve the rank of Ambassador.
When Americans tune in to the daily White House press
briefing, they see the first openly gay White House
Press Secretary representing my Administration on the
world stage.
[[Page 26474]]
But this is just the beginning. I rescinded the
discriminatory ban on transgender service members,
paving the way for these brave Americans to once again
serve openly in the United States military. I signed an
Executive Order on Advancing Diversity, Equity,
Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce,
taking additional steps to ensure that LGBTQI+ public
servants are treated with dignity and respect. I also
signed a landmark Executive Order charging the Federal
Government to prevent and combat discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Federal agencies have since strengthened or clarified
protections for LGBTQI+ Americans in housing, health
care, education, employment, credit and lending
services, and the criminal justice system. Just last
year, I proudly signed the Respect for Marriage Act to
defend the rights of LGBTQI+ and interracial couples.
The struggle for equal justice is not over. Today and
in each generation, we must rededicate ourselves to
ending the hatred and discrimination that LGBTQI+
Americans continue to face. That includes addressing a
wave of discriminatory laws that target them--
especially transgender children--and that echo the
hateful stereotypes and stigma of the Lavender Scare.
My Administration is standing firmly with brave LGBTQI+
Americans to push back against these injustices.
Great nations face their history openly and honestly:
the good, the bad, and the truth. Today, we make our
message simple to every public servant who suffered
from the un-American policies and discrimination of the
Lavender Scare: We see your sacrifices. We acknowledge
what you lost and what you wrongfully endured. I have
mandated my Administration to do all we can to write a
new chapter of our American story that will demonstrate
our abiding commitment to equal rights, respect for
human dignity, and limitless opportunity for all.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 27,
2023, as the 70th Anniversary of the Lavender Scare. I
call upon government officials and the people of the
United States of America to honor the contributions of
LGBTQI+ public servants, to recognize the lives
impacted by the Lavender Scare, and to celebrate the
great diversity of the American people.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
seventh.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2023-09258
Filed 4-28-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 1, 2023.
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