'Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington'

Published November 9, 2022 at 4:12 PM MST

Queer people have worked at all levels of our nation’s politics and government. But in the mid-20th-century, when being queer was vilified — and often associated with Communism, Nazism, and plotting against America — coming out was tantamount to social obliteration and career annihilation. So people hid.

Influential American newspaper columnist Joseph Alsop was one of them. In 1957, Alsop was ensnared by the KGB and threatened to be outed if he didn’t collude. Rather than turn traitor to his country, he took a risk and outed himself. Alsop’s bravery is detailed in James Kirchick’s history of gays and lesbians in Washington, D.C.

James Kirchick’s book is "Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington" [Amazon|Bookshop|Indiebound].

Airdate: Friday, June 17, 2022 at 12 p.m. and Sat, June 11, 2022 at 11 a.m. Rebroadcast Friday, Nov. 11, 2022 at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.