Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington, from FDR through Clinton
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- Author：James Kirchick
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Summary
Washington， D。C。， has always been a city of secrets。 Few have been more dramatic than the ones revealed in James Kirchick’s Secret City。
For decades， the specter of homosexuality haunted Washington。 The mere suggestion that a person might be gay destroyed reputations， ended careers， and ruined lives。 At the height of the Cold War， fear of homosexuality became intertwined with the growing threat of international communism， leading to a purge of gay men and lesbians from the federal government。 In the fevered atmosphere of political Washington， the secret “too loathsome to mention” paradoxically held enormous， terrifying power。
Utilizing thousands of pages of declassified documents， interviews with over one hundred people， and material unearthed from presidential libraries and archives around the country， Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington， from FDR through Clinton is a chronicle of American politics like no other。 Beginning with the tragic story of Sumner Welles， Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s brilliant diplomatic advisor and the man at the center of “the greatest national scandal since the existence of the United States，” award-winning journalist and author James Kirchick illuminates how the idea of homosexuality shaped each successive presidential administration， impacting everything from the creation of America’s earliest civilian intelligence agency to the rise and fall of McCarthyism， the struggle for African American civil rights， and the conservative movement。
Celebrating the men and women who courageously decided that the source of their private shame could instead be galvanized for public pride， Kirchick offers a reinterpretation of American history told from the perspective of the citizens who lived in its shadows。
Sweeping in scope and intimate in detail， Secret City will forever transform our understanding of American history。
For decades， the specter of homosexuality haunted Washington。 The mere suggestion that a person might be gay destroyed reputations， ended careers， and ruined lives。 At the height of the Cold War， fear of homosexuality became intertwined with the growing threat of international communism， leading to a purge of gay men and lesbians from the federal government。 In the fevered atmosphere of political Washington， the secret “too loathsome to mention” paradoxically held enormous， terrifying power。
Utilizing thousands of pages of declassified documents， interviews with over one hundred people， and material unearthed from presidential libraries and archives around the country， Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington， from FDR through Clinton is a chronicle of American politics like no other。 Beginning with the tragic story of Sumner Welles， Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s brilliant diplomatic advisor and the man at the center of “the greatest national scandal since the existence of the United States，” award-winning journalist and author James Kirchick illuminates how the idea of homosexuality shaped each successive presidential administration， impacting everything from the creation of America’s earliest civilian intelligence agency to the rise and fall of McCarthyism， the struggle for African American civil rights， and the conservative movement。
Celebrating the men and women who courageously decided that the source of their private shame could instead be galvanized for public pride， Kirchick offers a reinterpretation of American history told from the perspective of the citizens who lived in its shadows。
Sweeping in scope and intimate in detail， Secret City will forever transform our understanding of American history。
Reviews
Matthew Schmuck
，
This book challenged me， probably more so than any book I have read recently or will read for quite some time。 It was exhaustive， and incredibly meaty - in the best possible sense。 The author’s style of writing is littered with vocabulary that I forgot existed， and while it was work to get through each sentence， it felt worthwhile in a more complete understanding of the subject。Emotionally， I can only imagine how taxing it was to research all of this - I can certainly tell you it was reading it。 This book challenged me， probably more so than any book I have read recently or will read for quite some time。 It was exhaustive， and incredibly meaty - in the best possible sense。 The author’s style of writing is littered with vocabulary that I forgot existed， and while it was work to get through each sentence， it felt worthwhile in a more complete understanding of the subject。Emotionally， I can only imagine how taxing it was to research all of this - I can certainly tell you it was reading it。 However， the conclusion really went the extra mile to transmute all of that historic grief into something that felt more hopeful and tender。 We do truly owe our place to those that came before us， those that suffered both unwillingly and those that suffered bravely。 I feel more whole and more brave to continue the work for the queer community， and that I think is the best sort of compliment to give to the author。 。。。more
Caitlin
，
I tried。 I tired。 I couldn’t get into it。 There was a lot of back and forth going on。 I was expecting more about Eleanor Roosevelt and J Edgar Hoover。 Maybe I just expected more of the book than what it was？ I wanted to like it so bad。
Shane
，
I finished this a few days ago and was holding off reviewing it until I had time to write more but that’s not coming soon so here’s the rushed version。 This book has a narrower focus than I was expecting in terms of being primarily interested happening in queer people in the White House or congress with limited diversions。 Within that focus I did learn a lot - I particularly found it interesting to see the evolution of the way society reacted to a gay scandal in politics （the scandal often just I finished this a few days ago and was holding off reviewing it until I had time to write more but that’s not coming soon so here’s the rushed version。 This book has a narrower focus than I was expecting in terms of being primarily interested happening in queer people in the White House or congress with limited diversions。 Within that focus I did learn a lot - I particularly found it interesting to see the evolution of the way society reacted to a gay scandal in politics （the scandal often just being that people were gay in the first place）。 And the way that queer people from both political had this impetus to keep each other’s secrets for a long time from mutually assured destruction but that changed as the two parties diverged in how they handled gay rights。 That all being said， I was hoping for more variation in the subject matter and it wasn’t a total win for me。 。。。more
Cathy
，
The first half of the book has too much detail for me， but when the author describes the era from 1965 on it gets fascinating。 The working theory in politics was that homosexuals were prone to blackmail， a theory that data doesn't support。 Or when the author describes how one's sexual orientation became weaponized。 I'm glad to see such a tectonic shift in attitudes and policies since then， but it will be a while before we have an openly gay person as president。 Maybe Buttigieg will change things The first half of the book has too much detail for me， but when the author describes the era from 1965 on it gets fascinating。 The working theory in politics was that homosexuals were prone to blackmail， a theory that data doesn't support。 Or when the author describes how one's sexual orientation became weaponized。 I'm glad to see such a tectonic shift in attitudes and policies since then， but it will be a while before we have an openly gay person as president。 Maybe Buttigieg will change things 。 。 。 。。。more
Nick
，
As a gay man who lived in Washington DC from 1970-78 and again from 1982-90， I was thrilled at this comprehensive and meticulously researched story of that "Secret City，" e。g。， the history of gays and lesbians that ran parallel and often intersected with the conventional view of events （meaning hetero）。 This book goes well beyond the well-reported scandals involving gay people， such as LBJ's close associate Walter Jenkins and the lavender scare of the early 50's to recount fascinating subplots o As a gay man who lived in Washington DC from 1970-78 and again from 1982-90， I was thrilled at this comprehensive and meticulously researched story of that "Secret City，" e。g。， the history of gays and lesbians that ran parallel and often intersected with the conventional view of events （meaning hetero）。 This book goes well beyond the well-reported scandals involving gay people， such as LBJ's close associate Walter Jenkins and the lavender scare of the early 50's to recount fascinating subplots of people lost to history， whether victims or resistors of anti-gay oppression。 Moreover， Kirchick makes a compelling case that the cynical use of potential disclosure shaped almost every presidential administration and a large portion of policy， both domestic and international。 The author has a spot-on sense of the unique nature of Washington's weird social milieu， where access to power fuels a parade of unique characters。 I particularly liked his depiction of what can only be described as gay socialites during the late 70s and early 80s。 Ditto his telling of the deep attraction of severe right-wing politics to a certain type of homosexual male。 Apparently， the Young Americans for Freedom was a hotbed of gay sex， albeit unadmitted。 My association with Washington makes me the ideal reader for this excellent book， but it deserves to be read by everyone interested in history， gay or straight。 。。。more
Lance
，
It took a couple months to get through this tome， with its comprehensive review of homosexual life in DC from FDR's days through Clinton （though the Bush and Clinton years get short shrift after all the juicy and tragic stories of the Reagan era）。I'm glad I learned of the book on https://www。lawfareblog。com/chatter-p。。。。 It took a couple months to get through this tome， with its comprehensive review of homosexual life in DC from FDR's days through Clinton （though the Bush and Clinton years get short shrift after all the juicy and tragic stories of the Reagan era）。I'm glad I learned of the book on https://www。lawfareblog。com/chatter-p。。。。 。。。more
Ellen Gwynn
，
I learned so much from this book。 Have been a lesbian since the mid-70's， thus post-Stonewall， and still I am repeatedly floored by how terrible it was to live in an almost exclusively homophobic society。 So many lives ruined and potential never realized simply b/c people were attracted to the "wrong" gender。 And we STILL don't have a federal law prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ employees。 And the haters are still hounding us。 Excellent book。 I learned so much from this book。 Have been a lesbian since the mid-70's， thus post-Stonewall， and still I am repeatedly floored by how terrible it was to live in an almost exclusively homophobic society。 So many lives ruined and potential never realized simply b/c people were attracted to the "wrong" gender。 And we STILL don't have a federal law prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ employees。 And the haters are still hounding us。 Excellent book。 。。。more
Stuart Miller
，
An excellent history of the homophobia that afflicted the federal government for decades from the administrations of Franklin Roosevelt through Bill Clinton。 The author resurrects forgotten homosexual figures of their times but all shared one thing: a terror of being discovered as "that way"。 It is amazing to realize that so much effort， time， and energy was wasted by politicians and bureaucrats discussing， e。g。， what a person's "swish" walk indicated。 Some of the author's research has turned up An excellent history of the homophobia that afflicted the federal government for decades from the administrations of Franklin Roosevelt through Bill Clinton。 The author resurrects forgotten homosexual figures of their times but all shared one thing: a terror of being discovered as "that way"。 It is amazing to realize that so much effort， time， and energy was wasted by politicians and bureaucrats discussing， e。g。， what a person's "swish" walk indicated。 Some of the author's research has turned up investigations that can only be considered high comedy except for the devastating consequences on "suspected" persons: destroyed careers and in a few cases， suicide。 Anyone interested in mid-to-late 20th century American history or gay culture will want to read this。 。。。more
Ann
，
Very informative！
Katie B
，
4。5 starsFull review coming soon。
Robin
，
This book took me a while to get through， but it was well worth it。。。a very well-researched， detailed， and informative look back at LGBTQ history in our nation's political arena。 This book took me a while to get through， but it was well worth it。。。a very well-researched， detailed， and informative look back at LGBTQ history in our nation's political arena。 。。。more
Ricardo
，
This incredible history of how LBGT people not only learned to thrive in Washington， DC but how members of this community shaped so much of modern politics。 Citing the transient nature of so many who come to work in the city， Washington was a perfect place for even married men to pursue relationships with other men。 The ways to conceal these affairs， in an environment already obsessed with keeping government secrets， made the two sides of DC inevitably clash。Since most government workers through This incredible history of how LBGT people not only learned to thrive in Washington， DC but how members of this community shaped so much of modern politics。 Citing the transient nature of so many who come to work in the city， Washington was a perfect place for even married men to pursue relationships with other men。 The ways to conceal these affairs， in an environment already obsessed with keeping government secrets， made the two sides of DC inevitably clash。Since most government workers throughout the 20th century were men， the book pays more attention to gay men。 There are still interesting stories of women such as the beautifully named Furies， who broke away from the Gay Liberation Front， as well as the group of lesbian staffers in the Carter administration which drew condemnation from Carter’s evangelical supporters。James Kirchick， not known for being a historian， nevertheless weaves together the lives and scandals of well-known figures like J。 Edgar Hoover and Alger Hiss， but also lesser known people like Bayard Rustin and Tony Dolan。 There are also details regarding secret spots to meet in the city， characters like Odessa Madre who provided space for homosexuals and the incredible number of gays that worked in each administration， Republican and Democrat。 Kirchick also provides excellent insights into the hypocrisy of the federal government’s attempts to fire gay employees， the so-called Lavender Scare， which was a byproduct of the Red Scare， highlighting how helping the anti-American communist cause was synonymous with hiding the “sexual deviancy” of a gay life。The book ends with the Clinton administration， which was seen as the most “tolerant” towards gays despite the openly hostile mandates of “don’t ask， don’t tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act。 Kirchick actually considers the Reagan administration the “gayest” due to the astonishing number of gays on staff at the time。 But it was the AIDS crisis， and the rising influence of evangelical voters， that completely sundered many gay conservatives from the Republican Party。 In these chapters， Kirchick repeats the words found in a journal by a government worker dying from AIDS in the 1980’s。 Although filled with recriminations against conservatives， it was mostly a catalogue of how pleased he was with the life he was able to lead in DC， for as short a time as he was able to live it。As Kirchick notes， “[t]he story of the Secret City is a story of openness triumphing over concealment。” This book truly inspires with its depictions of perseverance against the unfortunate persistence of prejudice， exploitation and hypocrisy。 。。。more
Bobbi
，
Absolutely fascinating！
Tad
，
This book combined two of my favorite things: gay history and politics。 So of course， that meant that I was going to like it。 It is extremely well researched and very thorough， sometimes a little too thorough。 But what it outlines is so intriguing and so maddening that I found myself both surprised and disappointed in equal measure。 It's not surprising that there have been gay people in DC for decades。 Nor is it that surprising that many of then were forced to stay in the closet in order to pres This book combined two of my favorite things: gay history and politics。 So of course， that meant that I was going to like it。 It is extremely well researched and very thorough， sometimes a little too thorough。 But what it outlines is so intriguing and so maddening that I found myself both surprised and disappointed in equal measure。 It's not surprising that there have been gay people in DC for decades。 Nor is it that surprising that many of then were forced to stay in the closet in order to preserve their lives and careers。 What was surprising was just how prevalent and prominent many of them were to the powerful elites in DC。 I liked how this book chose to divide its chapters up by president as that helped give a bigger picture of what was going in the US at each point in time。 And I appreciated that the author was willing to give a big picture overview of the ways in which gay people were a part of DC life and DC culture。 This was a fascinating read， particularly if you're into politics or queer history。 One thing is for sure， if you disliked Ronald Reagan before reading this， you will absolutely despise him after reading it。 。。。more
TL
，
*Overdrive app * Narration: 4 stars 🌟 Comtent: 4 stars 🌟
Taylor Olmstead
，
Thoroughly researched （in almost all sections） and meticulously chronicles history of the bizarre dichotomy of 20th century gay life。 It gets a bit repetitive in sections， and clearly demonstrates the author’s preferred periods of history。 However， those eras have been largely unexamined by other texts so it’s still riveting。
Mark
，
This is a book that needed to be written， and I'm so glad that the author put in the long， hard， expensive hours to collect and save this important information。 If you're into American history or queer history， this is a must-read。 If you're not into either of those， parts of this could definitely be a slog。 There are a lot of names in the this book。 Some are really central， others are only mentioned in passing， and it's easy to get who's who mixed up。 I found myself having several Wikipedia tab This is a book that needed to be written， and I'm so glad that the author put in the long， hard， expensive hours to collect and save this important information。 If you're into American history or queer history， this is a must-read。 If you're not into either of those， parts of this could definitely be a slog。 There are a lot of names in the this book。 Some are really central， others are only mentioned in passing， and it's easy to get who's who mixed up。 I found myself having several Wikipedia tabs open to various people so I could refer back to who was who。 Except a lot of these people haven't made it into Wikipedia （often I put this down to gay erasure once I realized how important these people had been to really major events）。 Or their Wikipedia entries completely closet them， so you have to search elsewhere to see if this apparently straight person on Wikipedia is the same person that clearly had an active homosexual life in the Secret City。 A few of the people are more or less absent on the web since this book may be the first time their stories have been told outside of research libraries。 The author tends to start a chapter giving the full names of people once， but then only referring to them by their last names later on。 Since you don't know who the central people will be in the beginning， you end up doing a lot of paging back later to learn the full name of someone that you didn't realize would be so central at the beginning of the chapter。 I would have preferred either a strictly chronological telling （but that would have required frequent reminders of who was who since stories often overlapped or figures had long periods of their lives that weren't relevant to this book） or a chapter devoted to each person that followed that person beginning to end clearly labeled with their name as the chapter heading or something。 Either of those methods would have probably come across a little more dry。 The author chose to build some suspense & intrigue into his stories by interweaving stories arranged only vaguely chronologically by presidential administration。 This might make it more interesting to readers used to fiction， but it made it harder for me to keep all the players clear from each other。That aside， it was worth the work。 A really majestic piece of historical scholarship。 。。。more
John
，
I suggest this book to anyone interested in the gay history of Washington。 It was eye-opening。 I was never bored。
Chris
，
Really interesting look at the history of homosexuality in the federal government from the New Deal through the Clinton administration。 Kerchick manages to be minimally prurient considering the topic。 He concentrates on the many instances in which homosexuals were deprived of civil rights to work and associate freely。Its hard to think of another group for whom things have changed so drastically。 Kerchick makes a strong case that it was less damaging to be a communist in America during the Cold W Really interesting look at the history of homosexuality in the federal government from the New Deal through the Clinton administration。 Kerchick manages to be minimally prurient considering the topic。 He concentrates on the many instances in which homosexuals were deprived of civil rights to work and associate freely。Its hard to think of another group for whom things have changed so drastically。 Kerchick makes a strong case that it was less damaging to be a communist in America during the Cold War rather than a homosexual。 That remained the case really through the 1980s。 。。。more
Chrissy
，
I had to DNF this book。 It is dry and focuses more of the homophobic people than the great leaders who happened to be gay。 Even of the gay men and women who are noted， they are mostly white men。 There were many missed opportunities in my opinion， from the amount I worked hard to get through。
Joe
，
In this exhaustively researched tome， James Kirchick tells the story of two different cities: the Open city of Washington D。C。， a well-traveled city known to every student of history， and the Secret city， a gay Washington whose history has been left untold and unwritten until now。 In over 800 pages（！）， Kirchick delves into the untold stories of gay Washington and shows how gay men and women played behind the scenes roles （willing and unwilling） in so many of Washington's key events over the last In this exhaustively researched tome， James Kirchick tells the story of two different cities: the Open city of Washington D。C。， a well-traveled city known to every student of history， and the Secret city， a gay Washington whose history has been left untold and unwritten until now。 In over 800 pages（！）， Kirchick delves into the untold stories of gay Washington and shows how gay men and women played behind the scenes roles （willing and unwilling） in so many of Washington's key events over the last 70 years。 Much of this history is tremendously sad。 Hundreds and perhaps thousands of tremendously talented public servants were left vulnerable to blackmail and dismissal and often lived in perpetual terror。 However， Kirchick also tells the stories of brave men and women who stood up and fought back against discrimination and persecution。Of special interest is Kirchick's exploration of how each president approached and treated the gay men and women in their lives。 This is a long read， but very much worth it。 。。。more
Lisa
，
（3。5 stars） Have you ever heard of The Lavender Scare？ I hadn't until my high school junior learned about it last year in her American history class， ever grateful that we don't live in one of those wretched "don't say gay" states。Secret City is the chronological story of 20th century American homophobia against the political landscape of Washington DC， and broken down in chapters by presidential administrations （FDR thru Clinton）。 The Lavender Scare is just one of the many stories it reveals。E （3。5 stars） Have you ever heard of The Lavender Scare？ I hadn't until my high school junior learned about it last year in her American history class， ever grateful that we don't live in one of those wretched "don't say gay" states。Secret City is the chronological story of 20th century American homophobia against the political landscape of Washington DC， and broken down in chapters by presidential administrations （FDR thru Clinton）。 The Lavender Scare is just one of the many stories it reveals。Enlightening read and definitely worth the time I invested to read its 600+ pages。 。。。more
Cynthia Smith
，
I found this a bit too tedious to finish。 It had some interesting insights and others may enjoy it but it was just too much for me。
Silvio111
，
Definitely a masterpiece。 Right up there with Randy Shilts' AND THE BAND PLAYED ON。I confess， I almost abandoned this book after the first （FDR） chapter。 The gay people he was describing lacked any consciousness about altruistic goals or purpose and I could not imagine reading 600 pages about such people。So I skipped ahead （contrary to my usual ethic of forging straight through。。。） to the Lyndon Johnson years and then I was completely drawn into this epic story， right through to the Bill Clinton Definitely a masterpiece。 Right up there with Randy Shilts' AND THE BAND PLAYED ON。I confess， I almost abandoned this book after the first （FDR） chapter。 The gay people he was describing lacked any consciousness about altruistic goals or purpose and I could not imagine reading 600 pages about such people。So I skipped ahead （contrary to my usual ethic of forging straight through。。。） to the Lyndon Johnson years and then I was completely drawn into this epic story， right through to the Bill Clinton years。It is significant how Kirchick manages to elicit empathy for conservative political and government power figures who are walking the tightrope of influencing the straight power set while remaining closeted （but carrying on a robust gay social life。） I cannot even imagine the pressures。Several figures are truly tragic--carrying the load for Republican presidents as indispensable right-hand operatives and then being thrown under the bus when their gay identity threatened the power structure。 Some of these men buckled; others managed to rise up and embrace their newly outed status。Understandably， Kirchick devotes the most pages to the Reagan years。 During the '80s， I was quite aware of the president's hypocracy in not acknowledging the topic of AIDS for years。 I also never understood how Reagan "earned" the nickname of "The Great Communicator。" I never believed he possessed any sincerity at all。However， reading this book， I was stunned at the cold duplicity of the First Lady--she whose best friends， hairdresser， interior decorator， etc。， etc。， were。。。gay men。 And yet she never raised a finger to support them during the AIDS crisis。 And let's not even mention Rock Hudson。Contrast Nancy Reagan's behavior with that of Lady Bird Johnson， who showed compassion and loyalty to the person shunted out of the White House， inviting him to her home and keeping in touch with him。 Some people just have class。Regardless of my reactions， the real point is that this book was monumentally researched and brilliantly organized and written。 。。。more
Jamie
，
From the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration through Bill Clinton， Secret City is a sprawling history of 20th century Gay Washington — the contributions of LGB people， public attitudes， major events， scandals， and slices of what life was like for sexual minorities。 Neither a traditional historical work nor a biography， Secret City is a series of personal histories following several dozen key figures， their stories tied together by the larger history of the US in general， and DC in particula From the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration through Bill Clinton， Secret City is a sprawling history of 20th century Gay Washington — the contributions of LGB people， public attitudes， major events， scandals， and slices of what life was like for sexual minorities。 Neither a traditional historical work nor a biography， Secret City is a series of personal histories following several dozen key figures， their stories tied together by the larger history of the US in general， and DC in particular， with many players reappearing at various points throughout the narrative。 It felt， at first glance， like a rather niche subject matter — the history of a specific subset of people， in a specific city， during a specific time。 I usually don’t go in for such things， and often find myself drawn to much more big picture examinations。 But I’m glad I read this。 A fascinating， illuminating， and moving history that deserves a greater audience。 It’s a long read， but it’s worth your time。 5/5 。。。more
Ryan Levi
，
LONG book， but FASCINATING。 I knew a little about the “Lavender Scare” （aka the gay purge of federal employees in the mid-20th century）， but I had no idea how big a role homosexuality and homophobia played in major US history events of the 20th century。 And as someone living in DC， it was great to learn more about queer history in my city。 Finally， if you read The Deviant’s War， this covers a lot of different ground and well worth the read。
Jerry
，
Kirchick has done an incredible job of investigating the archives and piecing together a fascinating narrative that spans decades to reveal the incredible damage the fear of homosexuality caused， ruining countless lives。 although so much has attention has been focused on NYC and LA and other world capitals （Paris， Berlin， London） this excavation of DC's secrets and lies is essential。 It also positions Frank Kameny as one of the pivotal figures who helped change so much in the 50s and beyond。 A m Kirchick has done an incredible job of investigating the archives and piecing together a fascinating narrative that spans decades to reveal the incredible damage the fear of homosexuality caused， ruining countless lives。 although so much has attention has been focused on NYC and LA and other world capitals （Paris， Berlin， London） this excavation of DC's secrets and lies is essential。 It also positions Frank Kameny as one of the pivotal figures who helped change so much in the 50s and beyond。 A must read for anyone interested in LGBTQ history and/or the dark side of US politics。I listened to the audio and I recommend it since the narration is entertaining and helps propel one through some of the long patches that can be exhausting while reading。 check it out！ 。。。more
Brady Jones
，
This should be required reading for the LGBTQ community - and beyond， to be quite honest。
AshleyKantorski
，
I found this to be very well researched and well written。 I quite enjoyed learning about the hidden history of the LGBTQ+ in Washington DC。 It was very intriguing and well thought out。
Elise
，