Paniek in de pers en vervolging van homoseksuelen: ontwikkelingen in de Amerikaanse seksuele ideologie tijdens de Koude Oorlog

In the decade following WWII, a panic about child murder & sex crimes against children & women seized much of the US. National magazines & local newspapers provided chilling accounts of grotesque incidents, which raised public alarm to such an extent that more than 15 states convened special commissions to study the problem of the "habitual deviated sex offender" who committed such crimes. This, in turn, resulted in more hysteria & provided psychiatrists a means of mobilizing public support for legislation that increased their power to intervene in judicial proceedings related to sexual behavior. Because of the enormous concern given the commissions, they became a major vehicle for the construction of a Cold War sexual & gender ideology & helped foster public hostility toward homosexuals by portraying them as child molesters. 36 References. Modified HA