Was Walt Whitman 'gay'? New textbook rules spark LGBTQ history debate

As California implements an LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum as part of the FAIR Education Act, textbook publishers grapple with labeling historical figures.

“If a person isn’t closeted, there’s no need for a history book to be closeted about them either,” said Polly Pagenhart, of Our Family Coalition. “You’re assumed to be heterosexual unless you’re named otherwise.”