I'm writing an article for Lingua Franca about the recent protest at the
dedication ceremony for the Walt Whitman Interpretive Center in
Huntington, New York. The protesters (a group of academics and activists
calling themselves "The Calamus Preservation Society") argue that the
exhibit leaves out biographical information about Whitman's homosexuality,
and they suggest that the pressures of being a state-funded site have led
the museum to create a "whitewashed" presentation. (There have also been
accounts of leaked internal memos showing that the gay material was
deliberately eliminated.)
I'm interested in hearing from anyone who is familiar with this exhibit
about your experiences and your thoughts on the controversy. Feel free to
email me at [log in to unmask] Thank you.