Love and ath: The legacy of Congrsnal Cemetery’s ‘Gay Corner’ - The Washgton Post

Contents:

• LOVE AND ATH: THE LEGACY OF CONGRSNAL CEMETERY’S ‘GAY CORNER’
• WALK YOUR DOG—OR DO GOAT YOGA—AMONG THE GRAV OF GAY VETERANS AND CONGRSMEN
• NEW MEMORIAL PLANNED FOR GAY VETERANS AT WASHGTON CEMETERY
• GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI
• GAY MOSW · CY GUI
• CLOSE THE GAY NCENTRATN MPS CHECHNYA RSIACLOSE THE GAY NCENTRATN MPS CHECHNYA RSIA

LOVE AND ATH: THE LEGACY OF CONGRSNAL CEMETERY’S ‘GAY CORNER’

In a quiet neighborhood of Southeast Washgton, Leonard Matlovich has been a persistent advote for gay rights sce the 1980s.

WALK YOUR DOG—OR DO GOAT YOGA—AMONG THE GRAV OF GAY VETERANS AND CONGRSMEN

Instead, he — or rather his tombstone — n be found Congrsnal Cemetery, which claims to be the world’s only graveyard wh an LGBTQ, why is Matlovich buried here — a bulic, 35-acre stretch of land near the Anastia River and RFK Stadium — and why did “Gay Corner, ” as some refer to , velop unr the cherry tre near his 6-by-8-foot grane grave marker? “It was kd of a middle fger to Hoover, ” says Pl Williams, the cemetery’s much of the mid-20th century, Hoover’s FBI bugged, harassed and attacked gays wh the same vrlic vilence that the agency ed to go after civil rights lears, antiwar activists, alleged munists and others emed “viant” threats to the natn. Hoover himself was, of urse, believed to be gay — and Tolson was thought (though never proved) to have been his romantic partner — but don’t expect to hear about that if you vis the cemetery.

A Public Vlt was ed to hold the bodi of Prints John Qucy Adams, William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor, among others, until they were buried elsewhere the story behd Matlovich’s after-ath prott has s roots the mid-1970s, when he met the early gay rights activist Frankl Kameny — who 1957 had been fired om the Army Map Service for beg gay. A 1974 Air Force Tim story reported that Kameny wanted to challenge the legaly of the ary’s ban on openly gay men.

NEW MEMORIAL PLANNED FOR GAY VETERANS AT WASHGTON CEMETERY

He was lookg for “someone wh a flawls rerd who the ary don’t already know is gay, and who is ready to fight as a tt se, ” rells Michael Bedwell, a iend of Matlovich’s and adviser to a project on gay history.

That fall, Matlovich moved to G Street SE, across om the then-ndown cemetery, and he disvered that Walt Whman’s lover, Peter Doyle, was buried 1984, two years before Matlovich was diagnosed wh AIDS, he and Bedwell vised Père Lachaise Cemetery Paris, where Osr Wil’s grave is a popular gay statn. For Matlovich, Congrsnal Cemetery had “gay ronance bee of Doyle”; he bought two plots near Hoover as a last lgh of sorts, explas Bedwell. ” Above those words are two pk triangl, an upward-potg one symbolizg gay rights and an upsi-down one that gay prisoners were forced to wear Nazi ncentratn the left of his grave is a most memorial to Kameny that reads “Gay is Good, ” a then-heretil slogan that the activist ed 1968.

Kay Lahen was buried this sprg next to her partner, activist Barbara Gtgs, sometim referred to as the mother of the gay rights movement. Lbian rights anizatn, 1958 and led the fight to force the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn to classify homosexualy as a mental illns.

GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI

William Boyce Mueller, a founr of Fotten Suts — which fought the ban on gays the Boy Suts (the anizatn his grandfather tablished) — is buried close by unr a broad magnolia. An obelisk stalled 2017 honors Anto, an enslaved young man who was Roman emperor Hadrian’s lover and has been lled a “gay god.

”Among those who have bought plots Gay Corner are Stephen and Joshua Snyr-Hill, who were married at Matlovich’s grave 2011. That year, Stephen was st to the limelight when he was an active-duty soldier Iraq who was booed at a Republin printial bate for his viotaped qutn about endg the ary’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” to the cemetery’s gatehoe at Potomac Avenue and E Street SE, several other proment gay men are buried along the path lled Congrs Street.

GAY MOSW · CY GUI

But was brought back to life by both Gay Corner and a group of dog owners who pay du to allow their pets to wanr amid the gravton. The cemetery also hosts outdoor horror movi the summer and weekend yoga class the chapel or on the June, up to 3, 000 people gather at Gay Corner for the begng of the Pri Run 5K; the fall, the cemetery hosts a Veterans Day memoratn of gay service members. The cemetery also has a feature that, acrdg to the admistratn, is unique among cemeteri around the world: a “Gay Corner.

Hoover, the first and longtime director of the FBI, waged an anti-gay war durg the 1950s and ’60s, spyg on spected gay employe of the ernment and referrg to them as “sexual viat. He placed pk triangl on and, stead of emblazong wh his own name, ed the more clive phrase “A Gay Vietnam Veteran. The footstone that reads “Gay is good” memorializ Frank Kameny, who 1957 was dismissed om his posn as an astronomer the U.

Chapter of the Mattache Society, which sent pro-gay lerature and mpaign letters to high-rankg policians—all the way up to Print Lyndon B.

CLOSE THE GAY NCENTRATN MPS CHECHNYA RSIACLOSE THE GAY NCENTRATN MPS CHECHNYA RSIA

The headstone the shape of a prerly balanced, jnty black cube belongs to Ken Drser, a gay graphic signer who worked on Disneyland’s Ma Street Electric Para. And there is a weddg or two among the funerals— 2011, gay Iraq veteran Stephen Hill married his partner Josh Snyr—legally— ont of Matlovich’s memorial. Although earlier LGBT burials are loted HCC, the gay rner began 1988 when Vietnam Veteran and gay rights advote Leonard Matlovich cid to be terred at HCC.