Douglas Charles, associate professor of history, is finishing the proofing of his new book, Hoover's War on Gays: Exposing the FBI's "Sex Deviates" Program (University Press of Kansas, September 2015). While he works on this project he has also been using social media to promote the book and also to draw attention to neglected areas of history.
Tweeting as @DouglasMCharles, he has been posting information from the book, often with the hashtag #OTD (on this date). Recent examples include a conversation between FBI Director Hoover and Senator Joseph McCarthy and a memo from Hoover to the White House, both showing Hoover's interest identifying and targeting gays,
As a result of these postings, Professor Charles reports that his Twitter followers have doubled in the past few months. He has attracted attention from a diverse audience that includes government officials and celebrities, as well as historians and academics.
