ve; that gays are sexually predatory; and that gays and lesbians are a threat to children--or, more specifically, that they "recruit," "seduce" and "molest" children. These assumptions and allegations have appeared time and again, without the evidence to support them, and frequently without balance from the gays and lesbians who are subject to them. The 1940's and 50's: Birth of a "Social Problem" Words Used in the 1940's and 50'saberrant infamous crime against natureabnormal invertabominable, abomination misdeedcorrupt neuropsychiatric casecriminal pervertdegenerate psychopathdegraded queerdepraved sex criminaldeviant, sex deviant sex offenderdirty pansy sodomitedisgusting undesirableevil unmentionable subjectextreme medical disorder unnaturalfairy unspeakable crimefilthy vicehorrible victimimmoral vileindecent wicked As these usages will attest, underlying the early postwar reporting about homosexuality was the seemingly unquestionable premise that homosexuals were a problem. About 60 percent of the articles published described homosexuals as a direct threat to the strength of the U.S. military, the security of the U.S. government, and/or the safety of ordinary Americans. For example, the first article, published in Newsweek on June 9, 1947 and headlined "Homosexuals in Uniform," reported that homosexuals were "undesirable soldier material" because they were effeminate, nervous, unstable, and often hysterical. Army recruiters were instructed to screen them out by looking for "feminine m...
