John Briggs (R–North Orange County) was launching Proposition 6, a ballot initiative that would have required school districts to fire teachers found to have engaged in homosexual conduct.
The year was 1978, and California state Rep. The witch hunts soon spilled over into the private sector, as workers lost jobs that required security clearances. In what would eventually be called the Lavender Scare, the government launched a purge of gay and lesbian employees, aided by a 1953 executive order by President Dwight Eisenhower.
Hoey (D–N.C.) was investigating how many gay people worked for the federal government and whether these workers were a security threat.
