Is Washington DC Gay?



(image via thewe)

We know that the women of the District love them their pantsuits. Distinctions between the sexes are generally eschewed before the high altar of American Imperial Power. But what is it in particular about the voracious "man-love" in DC?



President Truman's old adage, "If you want a friend in Washington, get yourself a dog" begs the question: What about Charles Griffith Ross? We cannot fail to note that there is something about the nature of American political power -- especially among the men, though not exclusively -- that enforces the bonds and intimacies of sweet man-love (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). "From WashingtonSocialDiary, which has a solid point:

"Of course Russert had women in his life (mother, sisters, wife, friends, colleagues), just as Sorensen and Kennedy had women in theirs, and as so many men of substance have women, but Washington is a man’s town the way London is a man’s town. (New York and Paris, for example, are women’s towns). Washington women have made progress, but they don’t rule. Men here, in their private and public goings on, prefer the company of other men, with the possible exception of the town’s most charismatic flirt, Vernon Jordan. But Vernon, too, is famous for his time spent with other famous men.

"To me, what we have in the nation’s capital is the gayest population of straight men. Their affection for each other transcends capricious physical attraction for something more sturdy: the common bonds of career, ambition, shared battles and, as with Sorensen, a sort of Knights of the Roundtable fervor. Men loving men is not new here. Roosevelt had Louis Howe. Eisenhower had Sherman Adams. Bush '41' had James Baker. Jack Valenti famously said, 'I sleep each night a little better… because Lyndon Johnson is my President.' That’s love."

Of course we are just kidding and the same thing could be said about the jocularity found in sports like football, but Washington Social Diary explores the issue with a healthy dose of irony and some interesting historical examples. More here.