Question

What reason(s) did the federal government use for firing employees who were gay?

Answer 1

The federal government used reasons like claims of immorality and mental instability, the belief that gay people were a security risk, and the enforcement of Executive Order 10450 to justify firing gay employees.

Step-by-step explanation:

The federal government used the following reasons for firing employees who were gay:

1. Anti-homosexual crusaders argued that gay and lesbian people's innate immorality and mental instability left them vulnerable to blackmail by Communist agents. However, no evidence supported this claim.
2. The government believed that gay and lesbian people were a security risk and could be easily blackmailed.
3. In 1953, President Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10450, which banned gay and lesbian people from working for the federal government or its private contractors.

As a result, the FBI launched a campaign to root out gay and lesbian people from federal employment, leading to thousands of firings in the 1950s and 1960s.