From 'Lavender Scare' To Transgender Troops, The Long And Ugly History Of Federal Exclusion

President Trump's tweets last week that transgender service members would no longer be allowed in the military were met with both outrage and approval. For many, including former military leaders and LGBTQ rights advocates, the tweets were a step backward in time.

Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson talks with historians Brian Balogh (@historyfellow) and Nathan Connolly (@ndbconnolly) about the long — and often ugly — history of the relationship between the federal government and issues of gender and sexuality.

Balogh and Connolly are co-hosts of the podcast BackStory, which is produced at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.