Whitman is a noted American author. His work was groundbreaking and controversial for the time. The over sensuality found in his collection of poems titled Leaves of Grass brought suspicion on his sexuality. He never explicitly stated his orientation, although scholars of his work believe he was either bisexual or homosexual.
He died on March 26, 1892 in Camden, New Jersey. The home he lived in prior to his death is preserved as a historical landmark.
Walt Whitman
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Concentrating on the 1849-1855 transformation of hack-journalist Whitman into the inspired Leaves oS' Grass poet, Zweig (Comp. Lit., Queens College) emphasizes the intent and craft behind this apparent eruption of native genius; at the same time, less originally, he stresses the poetry as ""a dream of personal expansion,"" reflecting both mid-19th-century America and Whitman's insistence on the total correspondence between his life and his work.
While she was not born in Newark, Hidalgo had a major impact on the city with her activism in the Puerto Rican and Latinx community and work as a professor at Rutgers-Newark. After her retirement from Rutgers, she served as assistant commissioner of education for the State of New Jersey from 1994 to 1995.
She was a lesbian, whose political efforts where motivated by the needs of LGBT+ people of color. On September 22, 2010 Rutgers-Newark honored her memory and service to her community by naming a street on campus Hilda Hidalgo Way.
Hailing from Edison, New Jersey Halsey is a noted singer, who has been nominated for and won several awards for her work. She has collaborated with many high profile artist for her work and released multiple singles for charitable causes.
She identifies herself as bisexual.
Marsha P. Johnson was a self-identified drag queen, activist, founding member of the Gay Liberation Front and STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries). Johnson modeled for Andy Warhol, and was an AIDS activist with ACT UP. Johnson is believed to have thrown the first brick of the Stonewall Riots.
Johnson was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Here are some places located in or near New Jersey that are important to LGBT+ history, state history and national history. Some sites are closed to the public and can only be viewed from outside. Please visit their websites for more information.