We often watch documentaries about the Stonewall riots and subsequent protests in the United States, however rarely do we see the lead-up to this iconic turning point. This FREE seniors screening of The Lavender Scare aims to fill in the blanks in an ambitious work that pins together stories from various survivors of the rampant, institutionalised discrimination in the United States from the 1930s all the way up to the 1970s.

The discussion of and implementation of the removal of homosexual people from government positions is devastating to see and bears a very real correlation to works of fiction like A Handmaids Tale. This witch hunt was in many ways a precursor to McCarthyism and the hunt for ‘commies’ – in fact, it became one and the same later in the 1960s.

The stories told are a mixture of letters, confessions and interviews, and while all are shocking and some are devastating there is more than a glimmer of hope that transcends all the incredible hard work that was done by activists leading up to and continuing today. It is at times difficult to hear the testimonies of those who persecuted homosexual people, but a necessary factor in gaining an understanding of this unspeakably difficult period.

A fascinating insight to a time that should be better known and a chance to better understand part of the global history of the LGBTIQ movement and culture.