James Kirchick joins Ron Steslow to discuss his book Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington
(01:55) Why he wrote the book
(06:43) The interwoven political history and gay history in Washington
(14:33) The melting pot of the gay community and why it was seen as a threat
(19:55) The trope that whatever is bad must be gay
(31:51) The Lavender Scare
(35:53) The tension between the gay loyal foot soldiers of Ronald Reagan and courting the religious right
(49:00) What was challenging about writing the book
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