George Whitmore
George Whitmore, 1980
George Whitmore, 1980
BornGeorge Davis Whitmore
September 27, 1945
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
DiedApril 19, 1989
New York City, U.S.
OccupationAuthor
Alma materMacMurray College
Bennington College
PartnerMichael Canter

George Whitmore (September 27, 1945 – April 19, 1989) was an American playwright, novelist, and poet. He also wrote non-fiction accounts about homosexuality and AIDS.

Early life

George Whitmore was born on September 27, 1945, in Denver, Colorado.[1][2] His parents were Lowell Whitmore and Irene Davis.[1]

Whitmore graduated from MacMurray College in 1967, where he "received a BA degree in English and Theatre", and he attended graduate school at Bennington College for one year.[1]

Career

A conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, Whitmore chose to work at Planned Parenthood in New York City (1968–1972) in lieu of military service. He then worked at the Citizens Housing and Planning Council of New York City from 1972 to 1981.[1]

Whitmore emerged as an author in the context of the early gay literary movement that flourished in New York during the 1960s and 1970s. He wrote two books of poetry, three plays, and three novels.[1][3] He also wrote for The New York Times Magazine,[2] the New York Native, and Christopher Street.[1] He was also the "contributing editor and literary critic" at The Advocate from 1974 to 1976.[1] Whitmore was a member of The Violet Quill,[4] the Gay Academic Union, and Gay Men's Health Crisis.[2]

His writing explored taboos,[5] homosexuality, disability, and coming of age.[6]

In 1988, Whitmore and David Whittacre were awarded $47,000 after suing a Greenwich Village dental clinic for discriminating against them on the basis of their HIV status.[7] The clinic shut down due to legal costs; although there were plans for it to be reopened as a nursing home for AIDS patients,[8] this ultimately never happened.[9]

Personal life and death

Whitmore lived in Manhattan, and his longtime companion was Michael Canter.[2][3] He died on April 19, 1989, at the New York University Medical Center.[3]

Works

Novels

  • The Confessions of Danny Slocum (1980)
  • Deep Dish (1980–1982)
  • Nebraska (1987)

Plays

  • The Caseworker (1976)
  • Flight--The Legacy (1979)
  • The Rights (1980)

Poetry

  • Tricking. And Other Poems (1974)
  • Getting Gay in New York (1976)

Non-fiction

  • Someone Was Here: Profiles in the AIDS Epidemic (1988)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "George Whitmore papers". Yale University Library. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Anderson, Susan Heller (1989-04-20). "George Whitmore, 43, an Author Who Wrote on the Impact of AIDS". The New York Times. pp. B13. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
  3. 1 2 3 "George Whitmore; wrote about AIDS". The Chicago Tribune. April 23, 1989. p. 37. Retrieved November 22, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Summers, Claude J. (2002). "The Violet Quill". glbtq.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
  5. ↑ "GEORGE WHITMORE; WROTE ABOUT IMPACT OF AIDS". chicagotribune.com.
  6. ↑ "Book Reviews, Sites, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction". Kirkus Reviews.
  7. ↑ "A Dental Clinic Is Fined $47,000 For Refusing to Treat AIDS Cases (Published 1988)". The New York Times. 29 September 1988.
  8. ↑ "George Whitmore; Wrote About Effects of AIDS on Society, Himself". Los Angeles Times. 21 April 1989.
  9. ↑ "The Northern Dispensary: Greenwich Village's Free Clinic". www.nakedcitystories.com.
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