New memorial planned for gay veterans at Washgton cemetery - The Washgton Post

gay corner congressional cemetery

Congrsnal Cemetery visors soon will be able to learn more about the notable gay rights figur buried there. Atten n explore the cemetery's "gay rner" durg the new "LGBT Ins" tour by Atlas Obscura, planned to take place at the cemetery (1801 E St. SE) on April 16 at 3:30 p.m. Notable figur buried along the tour route clu Peter

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

A sign for a Natnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr Veterans Memorial at the Congrsnal Cemetery has been recently unveiled. * gay corner congressional cemetery *

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

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.

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

* gay corner congressional 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.

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.

NEW MEMORIAL PLANNED FOR GAY VETERANS AT WASHGTON CEMETERY

Explore gay Mosw wh Mr Hudson. The bt of Mosw for the discerng gay man. Where to sleep, eat, drk, shop and play. * gay corner congressional cemetery *

” 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. 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.

GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI

Gay Mosw Cy Gui for gay travelers. Review of the cy, gay scene, how to get there, travel tips, popular tourist attractns Mosw. * gay corner congressional cemetery *

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.

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.

GAY MOSW · CY GUI

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. 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. On May 30, 2014, Secretary of the Interr Sally Jewell stood outsi the Stonewall Inn New York Cy and announced private fundg for a new theme study to intify plac and events associated wh the story of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and queer (LGBTQ) Amerins. We regnize that LGBTQ inti are very personal, and have also shifted over time (the ia of a homosexual inty, for example, dat om the late neteenth and early twentieth century).

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

The word homosexual self was not ed until the turn of the twentieth century, troduced and fed by the psychologil profsn. While timate behavr is often seen as a fg characteristic, many people knew they were (and are) gay, lbian, bisexual, or queer bisexual before, or whout ever, havg sexual relatnships.

Whether Jane intified as a homosexual is bated; what is clear, however, is that her relatnships wh Ellen Gat Starr and Mary Rozet Smh were primary her life, and very important to her.

Qutn 5: In lookg to memorialize or regnize the LGBTQ past, how do you al wh the relative recent nature of gay or queer as an inty? UpStairs Lounge, New Orleans, LA: On June 24, 1973 an arsonist started a fire at this gay bar, rultg the aths of 32 people, cludg several members of the lol Metropolan Communy Church who were visg the bar after servic. The Mattache Society succsfully challenged the liquor le urt, and a new era of licensed and legally operatg gay bars Gate Bridge, San Francis/Oakland, CA: On the morng of January 31, 1989, activists om Stop AIDS Now or Else held a s- on the Goln Gate Bridge, blockg sh hour traffic while they hand out flyers sistg that AIDS was of ncern to everyone.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY CORNER CONGRESSIONAL CEMETERY

New memorial planned for gay veterans at Washgton cemetery - The Washgton Post .

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