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[kzoopunk]

I must be a grad student. I got irritated with uppity undergrad students in one of my classes. We were discussing this Whitman bio, and the prof (Junior Burke) asked what I thought about it. I responded that I found the assertion of Walt's homosexuality problematic, not to dispute the fact but to warn against the temptation to use words like "gay

Comments

[a_new_body]

I'm kind of confused here-- are you saying that because this was pre-stonewall, he wasn't identifying himself as anything since there was really no seperation of the two at the time, and that it was just an activity? I guess I'm trying to see where they are disagreeing with you. (Hey, I took TWO queer theory classes in undergrad ;)) I think I get what you are saying. Maybe.

By the way/unrelatedly, I may have missed this, but what are you planning on doing with your choices of study? I have the same english/writing/gender studies combo-- of course, I'm not going to grad school, so that puts you far ahead of me, ha. What are your ideas for after you graduate?

[kzoopunk]

Before Stonewall, sleeping with someone of the same sex didn't change your identity -- Whitman would never say "I'm gay, that's who I am." Queer identity didn't arise until after Stonewall, when it became "This is WHO I AM" as opposed to "This is WHAT I DO." Which is why it's problematic to call anyoone before Stonewall gay or lesbian -- figures like Whitman, Lincoln, Alexander the Great. And that was my point, that we can't throw around language that these people didn't have access to.

Hopefully, after I get this Masters I will be able to get my PhD. Then I want to teach college level creative writing and write/publish on the side.