Being open about your sexuality in the world today is something to take pride in and be proud of. However, during the 1900s, being openly gay was something that everyone in the LGBTQ community wanted but was afraid to do. It was not only an actual crime to be openly gay, but it was also frowned upon by businesses, organizations, and even fellow family members. All of this fear of being outed as gay in your community was known as the Lavender Scare (The people are...). The Lavender Scare was a way for people within a community to try and find those who were a part of the LGBTQ community and reveal their secret identity. During this time, the scare of Communism spread throughout the United States as the Cold War was starting. The Red Scare was the fear of Communism spreading throughout the United States, much like the Lavender Scare was the fear of homosexuality spreading. Senator Joseph McCarthy "revealed" hundreds of communists within the U.S., one of them being a male who had been outed as gay (These People are...). With this scare, many were forced even more to hide their sexuality from the public eye.