The word “queer” is both a noun and a verb, referring to members of the LGBTQ+ community and to the process of troubling what is thought to be known (Oswin, 2005). This paper attempts to queer biography through the dramatic and tragic tale of Professor Sigismond Diettrich of the University of Florida. Terminated in 1959 during a witch-hunt for subversive elements in Florida for admitting to occasional homosexual behavior, Diettrich’s story provides an excellent lens through which to reconsider what a proper biography might cover and who should be examined (Baigent, 2004).
While the sexuality of famous geographers such as Alexander Von Humboldt (Wulf, 2015) or those associated with major institutions such as Derwent Whittlesey and Harold Kemp at Harvard are well known (Smith, 1987), those not associated with major innovations or institutions are frequently forgotten. And oftentimes our only knowledge of these aspects of an individual’s life are when controversy appears, exposing deeply private aspects of one’s life to more public scrutiny. As Diettrich’s papers, along with records from the Florida State Archives show, sexuality is not the only topic that is “in the closet” (Brown, 2005). Frequently, topics such as disability, mental illness, and religion are also shrouded from view. Thus through the biography of Sigismond Diettrich, this paper shows how an attention to understudied areas of an individual’s life are crucial to writing histories that are more embodied and reflective of day-to-day life, both in and out of the academy.
Keywords: biography|queer|sexuality|disability|religion
A104121JS