I am watching a documentary in several installments called Pride and the episode for the 1960s shows LGBTQ+ individuals being regularly arrested, severely beaten and mistreated by the police. Even the public joined in the beatings at some instances. The names of the "offenders" were published in print media and these individuals' careers and lives were often ruined. Anti-gay therapy and shock treatments were also very common. The documentary points out to powerful, very conservative and homophobic forces being behind these abuses. What is the context of these developments? Do we know how many people were affected in these 'purges'? Was this unique to the US? Also, was it perhaps driven as a response to the opening of the culture in the 1960s and the increased civil rights activism?
Perhaps the most important development in this case was a moral panic in the 1950's that was sparked by the Cold War. Fears of moral decline were exacerbated by McCarthy's claims that homosexuals had infiltrated the Federal Government. This led to widespread condemnation of "sexual perverts" and other "morally depraved" groups, all typically references to homosexuals. This pervaded through the rest of society, causing a shift in emphasis in religious circles toward condemnation of all sexual vices.
Previously (1920's into the 40's until the end of WW2), homosexuality was tolerated by most local officials, who might charge homosexuals who had engaged in sex acts in public with disorderly conduct. This was typically punished with a fine, no jail time, or with probation. In most major cities there were gay cruising areas (Lafayette Park in D. C. and Tower Grove Park in St. Louis are a couple examples). Raids on gay and lesbian bars were less common at this time, and bars paid protection to local vice cops to ignore their activities. During the earlier 1920's, there were vice organizations that might monitor homosexual activities, but prohibition and heterosexual activities were more pressing to them.
The Cold War led to a broad cultural shift exacerbated by the Red Scare, leading to what David K. Johnson referred to as the Lavender Scare. Thousands of homosexuals (and suspected homosexuals) were fired from the U. S. Government as "loyalty risks," then blacklisted. Vice squads and morality squads were mobilized by police departments to raid gay bars and cruising sites, and punishment was tightened for sodomy. This legal shift was part of a broader movement condemning all immoral acts, leading to harsher repression and the vindication of long-held prejudices. Thus, raids, arrests, hate crimes, and police brutality against LGBTQ+ individuals intensified.