Post-WWII Cold War attitudes in the U.S. promoted containment, especially regarding racial and sexual dynamics. Milwaukee exemplifies this, with growing visibility of its gay and lesbian community and an influx of Black residents from the South and cities like Chicago leading to public unease. Many perceived these shifts as indicators of moral and criminal decline. Wisconsin reacted by implementing strict sexual psychopath laws and intensifying policing, especially in Milwaukee. This mirrored postwar views that intertwined Blackness and Queerness, profoundly affecting these communities in the second half of the 20th century.

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