Gay Twitter Is Memeing President Eisenhower After A Photo Of Him Posing Went Viral — Here's Why It's Messier Than It Seems
BuzzFeed
4 min read
If you're on the younger side or perhaps someone who did not grow up in the US, then you might not be familiar with Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower was a five-star army general and commander of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force during World War II — he also planned the Battle of Normandy.
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Eisenhower also served as president from 1953–61.
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It was during his time as president in 1953 that he issued Executive Order 10450. While the order didn't specifically mention LGBTQ people in its language, it used the term "sexual perversion" as a reason to prevent or fire gay and lesbian people from government jobs (deeming them to be security risks). According to the Mattachine Society of Washington, DC, in just the 1950s alone, somewhere between 7,000 to 10,000 lost their jobs because they were suspected of being homosexuals.
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Early LGBTQ activists fought back against it, and eventually the courts (starting in 1973) and the Clinton Administration would bring an end to Order 10450.
So, now that you have all that backstory, you're probably asking yourself, "OK, but what does that have to do with a viral photo of him?"
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Glad you asked. A few days ago, the Twitter account "Presidents and vice presidents doing normal shit" tweeted this photo of Eisenhower, looking — well, to use an old-fashioned term — a little light in the loafers. The photo took off on Gay Twitter, which, of course, seems ironic given Eisenhower's views on homosexuality.
So, I rounded up some "gay Eisenhower" tweets that'll have you laughing:
Also, follow these tweeters to bless your TL with some excellent tweets!
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