Long before Ron DeSantis, Charley Johns terrorized queer Floridians. And now, award-winning journalist and historian Robert W. Fieseler is uncovering how Johns rose—and ultimately fell. Fieseler, known for Tinderbox, returns with a powerful new book, American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives.
Using newly uncovered documents, he exposes how the Johns Committee weaponized anti-communism to persecute Black activists, queer teachers, and anyone who threatened Florida’s white conservative regime. Fieseler tells LGBTQ Nation, “Especially today, our news cycle continually chases its tail and fails to account for the historical background needed to understand any given headline.” He explains that moments like the Upstairs Lounge fire and the Pulse tragedy reveal America’s true feelings about marginalized people—and why we must understand the “deep undercurrents” behind modern backlash. Fieseler traces today’s MAGA playbook—scapegoating, fearmongering, authoritarianism—back to Johns’ own tactics.
From gerrymandering to smearing queer educators, the Committee ruled through intimidation until public outrage, missteps, and unified resistance finally toppled it. The lesson? Strongmen fall when marginalized groups stand together. Fieseler’s American Scare was just named a Kirkus “Best Book of 2025,” cementing him as a leading voice chronicling America’s unfinished civil rights battles. As Florida once again targets LGBTQ books, rainbow symbols, and queer youth, Fieseler reminds us that history doesn’t repeat—it rhymes, loudly.
