Arts & Entertainment
Garfield Wikipedia debate forces creator to clarify cat’s gender
the cartoon cat’s male identity was called into question


(Screenshot via YouTube.)
Garfield is known as the lazy, lasagna-eating orange cat but some fans who thought the cartoon character could also be gender fluid led to a 60-hour Wikipedia edit war.
Podcaster Virgil Texas started the great debate when he cited an interview Garfield creator Jim Davis did for Mental Floss in 2014.
Davis claimed, “by virtue of being a cat, really, he’s not really male or female or any particular race or nationality, young or old.” Texas took that admission to mean Garfield had no gender and the internet exploded.
FACT: Garfield has no gender. This. Is. Canon. pic.twitter.com/umm4OmeeVx
— Virgil Texas (@virgiltexas) February 24, 2017
A 60-hour Wikipedia edit on the famous cat’s page followed with Garfield’s gender changing to “none” and citations and entries flooding the site. Things got even more serious when someone with a congressional IP address removed Garfield from Wikipedia’s list of male cartoon characters.
Wikipedia eventually stepped in and put the page on lockdown to keep further edits from being made.
Never forget the Great Garfield Gender Wikipedia War of 2017 https://t.co/CY8S2JZs9p pic.twitter.com/m1hWpRbdhc
— irony guy (@homero_simpsone) February 28, 2017
Washington Post reached out to Davis for comment and Davis’ publicist confirmed “Garfield is male” and “has a girlfriend, Arlene.”
Texas accepted the clarification and says the information is “a victory for what matters most: cannon.”
Friends, we should not view the Garfield gender ruling as a loss. We should view it as a victory for what matters most: Canon.
— Virgil Texas (@virgiltexas) March 1, 2017
Even when we do not like it we must defer to Jim Davis’ statements, which, along with the comic strips, constitute JD-CANON, and are gospel.
— Virgil Texas (@virgiltexas) March 1, 2017
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Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.

The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies.
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The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.
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