Containing unique items from the personal collection of Rich Wilson, this exhibit focuses on 19th-century queer experience in the United States. Published originally on OutHistory in 2012.
A chronology of references to same-sex desire and sexual activity in the life of Walt Whitman and in the works of Whitman's biographers and critics. This timeline is a collaborative work-in-progress. Some of the language used and concepts referenced, influenced by colonialism, imperialism, racism, sexism, and anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs and practices, might have been considered offensive or otherwise problematic by the individuals discussed in the historical documents; some might be considered offensive or otherwise problematic by LGBTQ+ people today or in the future. All of this is part of LGBTQ+ history. We welcome new contributions; please contact outhistory@gmail.com. First published on OutHistory in 2020; last edited in 2023.