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Whitman’s Washington

Local group honors gay poet with lecture/discussion

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Walt Whitman, Peter Doyle, gay news, Washington Blade
Walt Whitman, Peter Doyle, gay news, Washington Blade

Walt Whitman, left, with his companion Peter Doyle. (Photo by M.P. Rice public domain)

Overbeck History Lecture Series

Walt Whitman in Washington

Washington Friends of Walt Whitman

Naval Lodge Hall

330 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.

Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

RSVP requested to [email protected]

Whitmandc.org

Martin Murray, Dupont Circle, Metro, Walt Whitman, gay news, Washington Blade

Martin Murray, a local gay Walt Whitman scholar, at the north entrance of the Dupont Circle Metro stop where a Whitman quote is prominently displayed. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Local historian Martin Murray is founder of the Washington Friends of Walt Whitman, a group that conducts tours showing spots in the District that are significant to the late, great poet who was spent a large portion of his adult life here from 1862-1873.

On Tuesday, Murray will lecture at the Naval Lodge Hall in a discussion of the gay poet’s many roles here. Here are a few highlights from a lengthy conversation with Murray this week about why the “Leaves of Grass” author still matters. His comments have been heavily edited for length.

WASHINGTON BLADE: How did you come to be so interested in Whitman?

MURRAY: I was introduced to him in 1976 when I was a student at Rutgers. It was the year of the Bicentennial and there was a series on famous Americans. One was on Walt Whitman in which he was portrayed by Rip Torn. I was in college and coming to terms with my own sexuality. The portrayal was very sensitively drawn, but they made it clear he was gay… which I thought was pretty forward for 1976. I hadn’t studied him much in school, but after that, I was very interested.

 

BLADE: You’ve done some substantial research on Whitman. What are some of the things you’ve discovered?

MURRAY: I had been interested in his role as a journalist during the war and I found about a dozen additional pieces of Whitman’s journalism that hadn’t been noted before. … Also in some of the things he jotted down during his time visiting wounded soldiers, he would often jot down their names or initials. I thought it would be interesting to find out more about them, so by doing some research at the National Archives where military service records are held and pension records as well, I was able to find a lot. This was about 15 years ago. … I also wrote a biographical essay on (Whitman confidante and probably lover) Peter Doyle that was published in the Walt Whitman Quarterly Review.

 

BLADE: Whitman lived here many years. What was his view of his life in Washington?

MURRAY: He was basically here from the last week of December of 1862 until July of 1873. As the war was ending, he got more secure government work. … He had a lot of connections here and worked until he had a stroke in January of 1873 in his office at the Treasury Building where he worked in the Attorney General’s office. He was basically paralyzed I believe on the left side. He tried as best he could to recover but eventually realized he couldn’t stay, so he went to Camden, New Jersey where he lived with his brother. … I think he would have stayed if his health had allowed.

 

BLADE: Do we know if there were any networks of gay men in Washington at the time or if they had any way of finding each other outside of random encounters?

MURRAY: It’s really hard to say. There probably were networks like that but trying to find firm evidence of it is really difficult. We know Whitman was writing poems about romance among gay soldiers, that there were references in the press suggesting his homosexuality and people he was intimate with in D.C., but it’s hard to say if there was any kind of gay society in that day.

 

BLADE: What significance does it hold for gays today to have historical figures such as Whitman be recognized as gay forefathers?

MURRAY: Even with the great progress that’s been made, there’s always a struggle, always something to grapple with when we start to realize we’re gay. People need to be able to look back and realize we’re not freaks. People of my kind have always existed and there’s a continuity there that goes all the way back through recorded time.

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Out & About

This queer comedy show will warm you up

Catfish Comedy to feature LGBTQ lineup

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(Promotional image via Eventbrite)

Catfish Comedy will host “2026 Queer Kickoff Show” on Thursday, Feb. 5 at A League of Her Own (2319 18th Street, N.W.). This show features D.C.’s funniest LGBTQ and femme comedians. The lineup features performers who regularly take the stage at top clubs like DC Improv and Comedy Loft, with comics who tour nationally.

Tickets are $17.85 and can be purchased on Eventbrite

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Arts & Entertainment

Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star and celebrated queer ally, dies at 71

Actress remembered for memorable comedic roles in ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Home Alone’

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(Photo courtesy of Pop TV)

Catherine O’Hara, the varied comedic actor known for memorable roles in “Beetlejuice,” “Schitt’s Creek,” and “Home Alone,” has died at 71 on Friday, according to multiple reports. No further details about her death were revealed.

O’Hara’s death comes as a shock to Hollywood, as the Emmy award-winning actor has been recently active, with roles in both “The Studio” and “The Last of Us.” For her work in those two shows, she received Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series and outstanding guest actress in a drama series.

In 2020, O’Hara won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series award for her work in the celebrated sixth and final season of “Schitt’s Creek.” She was also known as a queer ally and icon for her theatrical and often campy performances over multiple decades. In “Schitt’s Creek,” she played Moira Rose, the wig-loving mother of David Rose (played by series creator Dan Levy). David is pansexual, but the characters around him simply accept him for who he is; the show was embraced by the LGBTQ community with how naturally David’s sexuality was written and portrayed. That show ran from 2015 to 2020 and helped bring O’Hara and her co-stars into a new phase of their careers.

In a 2019 interview with the Gay Times, O’Hara explained why the show got LGBTQ representation right: “Daniel has created a world that he wants to live in, that I want to live in. It’s ridiculous that we live in a world where we don’t know how to respect each other and let each other be. It’s crazy. Other shows should follow suit and present the world and present humans as the best that we can be. It doesn’t mean you can’t laugh, that you can’t be funny in light ways and dark ways. It’s all still possible when you respect and love each other.”

Additional credits include “SCTV Network” (for which O’Hara won a writing Emmy), “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Six Feet Under,” “Best in Show,” “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” and “Dick Tracy.” O’Hara also lent her voice to “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Chicken Little,” “Monster House,” and “Elemental.” O’Hara was expected to return for Season 2 of “The Studio,” which started filming earlier this month.

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Calendar

Calendar: January 30-February 5

LGBTQ events in the days to come

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Friday, January 30

Friday Tea Time will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Bring your beverage of choice. For more information, contact Mac ([email protected]).

Spark Social will host “RuPaul’s Drag Race S18 Watch Party” at 8 p.m. This event will be hosted by local drag queens TrevHER and Grey, who will provide hilarious commentary and make live predictions on who’s staying and who’s going home. Stick around after the show for a live drag performance. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite

Saturday, January 31

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation.  Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Sunday, February 1

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community and Conversation” at noon at As You Are. This event is for those looking to make more friends and meaningful connections in the LGBTQ+ community. Look for the Go Gay DC sign on the long table near the front window. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Monday, February 2

“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam (adamheller@thedccenter.org).

Tuesday, February 3

Universal Pride Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower, and create change for people with disabilities. For more information, email [email protected]

Wednesday, February 4

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Center Aging Women’s Social and Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a place where older LGBTQ+ women can meet and socialize with one another. There will be discussion, activities, and a chance for guests to share what they want future events to include. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website

Thursday, February 5

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5:00 pm if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245. 

Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breath work and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.  

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