414 EURAMERICA thereby hidden) level paralleling the open one—which hereby suggests the poet’s possible self-awareness of his (sexual) minority status, best described as parahomosexual. The essay then considers more closely the specific contents of Whitman’s homopolitics (the hidden level of his openly promoted democratic comradeship) by working through critical theorizations addressing squarely the “homosexual” dimensions of his political propositions. Finally, Whitman’s subscription to US national ideology and hence endorsement of white supremacy and glorification of imperialism, which may arguably have contributed to his canonization as well as the transmission of his homotextual messages and homopolitical ideals, are raised for a homonationalist critique. However, his more widespread reputation as a democratic internationalist and pro-immigration multiculturalist has provided more affirmative views on the matter and thus complicates it from a historical perspective. Key Words: male friendship, open/secret, cruising strangers, ancient Greek model, American literary canon
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