District of Columbia
L’Enfant: First statue of gay figure in U.S. Capitol?
Book explores ‘male friendships’ of man who designed D.C.
The unveiling at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 28 of a statue of Pierre L’Enfant, the French American architect and civil engineer credited with designing the city of Washington, D.C., took place just under 20 years after the publication of a little-noticed book speculating that L’Enfant may have been gay.
The book, “Peter Charles L’Enfant: Vision, Honor and Male Friendship in the Early American Republic,” is written by George Washington University history professor Kenneth R. Bowling, who states in the book that L’Enfant had “intense emotional friendships” with at least two prominent male figures in the late 1790s and early 1800s that could have been romantic in nature.
“Even for its time, L’Enfant’s life was unusually male-centric,” Bowling writes, adding, “readers may wonder if any of L’Enfant’s relationships with men had a sexual expression.” Bowling points out that while the terms “homosexual” and “heterosexual” didn’t exist until the late 19th century, “sexual activity among people of the same gender, and awareness of it, did.”
But Bowling states in his book that because human sexuality during L’Enfant’s lifetime had not acquired the cultural emphasis that it gained in the 20th century it was not documented in writing in a way on which historians can rely.
“Consequently, we will probably never have smoking-gun proof as to whether any of L’Enfant’s relationships with men had a sexual component,” Bowling writes. “And if they did, that fact in no way disputes the claim that while he was living with Richard Soderstrom in 1797, L’Enfant fathered a child named Mary, mother unknown.”
Bowling was referring to L’Enfant’s longtime and often contentious friendship and business relationship with Richard Soderstrom, the Swedish Consul General to the newly formed United States in the late 1790s and early 1800s.
According to Bowling’s book, Soderstrom filed and won what today would be considered a lawsuit against L’Enfant requiring L’Enfant to reimburse Soderstrom a large sum of money for “rent” and operating expenses for the large house that Soderstrom owned and in which L’Enfant lived with Soderstrom for many years before L’Enfant moved out. Bowling states in his book that L’Enfant, who became embittered over the legal action, argued that Soderstrom never before indicated L’Enfant had to pay for living in the house.
A Nov. 8, 2002, press release issued by George Washington University announcing a talk that Bowling was scheduled to give on campus about his then newly published book about L’Enfant, describes Soderstrom’s legal action against L’Enfant as a “palimony” suit. The book itself makes no mention of the word “palimony,” but it suggests that the bitter falling out between L’Enfant and Soderstrom could have been based on emotions beyond just a business relationship.
The L’Enfant statue unveiling ceremony at the Capitol on Feb. 28, meanwhile, was a celebration of L’Enfant’s widely recognized contribution to the design of the nation’s capital city and of D.C.’s right to place the second of two statues in the Capitol just like each of the 50 states.
D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who arranged for the statue to be installed at the Capitol, said she and other D.C. officials consider the placement of the statue as a symbolic further step in pushing for D.C. to become the nation’s 51st state. D.C.’s first statue installed in the Capitol in 2013 is of African-American abolitionist Frederick Douglas.
Among those joining Norton in the L’Enfant statue unveiling ceremony were Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.).
The DMV’s own furry group was on full display on the Metro on Sept. 12.
Shutterpaws is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Maryland.
The furry group has been doing the FurRide event since 2024 and has blown up in popularity for furries around DMV. They showcased themselves on the Silver and Blue Lines near the Smithsonian on Sept. 12.
“A lot of careful planning goes into running these events, with the goal being a seamless and enjoyable experience for everyone who attends,” says Zayre, a Shutterpaws staff member. “There’s a lot that you learn just by trial and error, and as Shutterpaws hosts more and more events, our team of event organizers continues to learn and refine our approach to keep things running smoothly and finding new ways to engage with our community.”
With a larger growth of participation in the community comes many challenges with the group, especially when it comes to the Metro rides and organizing.
“The biggest challenge that we face as organizers is keeping things fresh and finding new and engaging venues to host events,” says Zayre. “Recently we saw a lot of success hosting a meet at On Target Battlezone, an indoor NERF gun battle arena where our crew was welcome to show up and play both with and without a fur suit.”
Nevertheless, Shutterpaws receive overwhelming support from the community and partners.
“Across the DMV there are so many amazing places to host a Shutterpaws event so we can pursue our mission of helping connect fur suiters and photographers, and we’re blown away with the amount of support we’ve received from our community partners,” says Zayre.
Shutterpaws plans to do more events for anyone in the DMV who is interested.
Their next event in collaboration with DC Fur Meet will take place at Pitchers (2317 18th St., N.W.) on Saturday. Visit Shutterpaws’ website for more information.
District of Columbia
Hands Off the Arts to form ‘human chain’ around Kennedy Center
Drag performer Tara Hoot among event organizers
An organization called Hands Off the Arts has announced it is holding a protest on Friday, Sept. 18, in which between 400 and 800 participants are expected to create a “human chain” around the Kennedy Center to voice their strong objection to President Donald Trump’s call for possibly demolishing the Kennedy Center.
“Hands Off the Arts is organizing a rally Sept. 18 against the president’s defacing of JFK’s memorial, his removal and censorship of art, and the threat to demolish the center if he can’t remake the site in his image,” a statement released by the group says.
The statement says the event will start with a rally at 6:30 p.m. on the Kennedy Center steps and culminate with a “human chain” around the building. “There will be musical performances, testimonials from current and former employees, along with other special guest speakers,” it says
A separate announcement by the group says longtime D.C. drag performer Tara Hoot, who has performed at the Kennedy Center in past years, was among the organizers of the Sept. 18 protest.
The planned protest follows Trump’s decision last year to use his authority to replace the existing members of the Kennedy Center’s board of directors with new members loyal to him. Over the objection of longtime Kennedy Center supporters, the Trump-appointed board changed the name of the center, at Trump’s request, from the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts to the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
But following the threat of legal action by opponents who pointed out that the name change could not be legally made unless approved by Congress, the name change was cancelled, with Trump saying he would take steps to restore it later.
The Washington Post, meanwhile, reports in a Sept. 13 news story that because of negative publicity related to Trump’s actions, the Kennedy Center was facing “fiscal collapse” and possible bankruptcy and could be forced to shut down as early as this week.
According to the Post report, a 57-page document presented to the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees says the center was facing a financial and structural building crisis, with the recent collapse of part of the building’s inside ceiling, indicating the building was unsafe for employees and the public. Among other things, the document says the Kennedy Center may not be able to make payroll or pay for routine maintenance “within a matter of weeks,” the Post reports.
Some LGBTQ advocates were among those who joined others in boycotting the Kennedy Center to express their objections to Trump’s actions, including a statement by Trump that he objected to the Kennedy Center’s practice of hosting drag performances.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington has been among the LGBTQ performing arts groups and artists that have performed at the Kennedy Center.
“With the future still very much uncertain, now more than ever, the Center needs you to stand up for freedom of expression and against authoritarian overreach into arts and culture institutions,” the Hands Off the Arts group says in its announcement of the Hands Around the Kennedy Center protest.
“You have the opportunity to make a difference — show up with Hands Off the Arts and show your power as part of Hands Around the Kennedy Center,” it says.
A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
District of Columbia
Blade welcomes fall intern
Alexis McLean is student at University of North Florida
The Washington Blade this week welcomed Alexis McLean as its fall intern.
Alexis is studying political science at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. She is interning with the Blade as part of a continued partnership with the Washington Center.
“I am looking forward to spending my time in the fall with the Washington Blade, as this is a new experience for me,” said Alexis. “I have not experienced any journalist jobs in the past so this would be my first time, and I am excited to better my writing and communications skills with this internship.”
Alexis’s internship with the Blade ends in early December.
Furries take over the Metro
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