TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

Being in New England Massachusetts suffers from an acute shortage of Confederate monuments, giving activists little to do. However, creative ones will find a way, and you can always go after Union heroes. One Massachusetts lawmaker has a problem with General Joseph Hooker (a native son) because an entrance named in his honor insults “women’s dignity.”

[Lawmaker] Michelle DuBois says the sign is divorced from any historical context, which could be provided by simply adding Hooker’s first name.

“Some people say, “I’m not a general hooker, I’m an elite hooker. Where is the entrance for me?’ So these types of jokes … kind of bring in this whole other ickiness,” DuBois tells the State House News Service.

Like sharpshooter, the term “hooker” as a synonym for prostitute existed well before the general’s tenure, although there’s not much doubt that the general’s hard drinking and carousing with loose women gave it a boost. The red light district in Washington was often called “Hooker’s Division.”

But if his doorway goes, can his statue be far behind?

More here.