The Lavender Scare and Homosexual Purges at the University of Southern Mississippi

The Lavender Scare and Homosexual Purge at USM is an interactive game of literary means. In the first half of the game you play as a gay man employed by the United States government in the Spring of 1950. The timeline follows McCarty’s infamous speech about communists in Congress, the ousting of the 91 homosexuals, and finally the Wherry-Hill investigations wherein the player finds out what their fate is depending on the choices they made throughout the game. The second half takes place at USM during the late 1950s, at the height of the homosexual purges on campus. This time you play as a college student being interrogated by Dr. Switzer concerning the sexuality of a known friend of yours, and reveals the outcomes of the purge as it occurred. All of the stories you will experience – though technically fictional – are based on real histories that occurred both at a national level and a local one.  This is a choose-your-own-adventure style game, so all your choices matter. You decide where you end up, and thus the fate of your game is up to you. Have fun!