Massachusetts

General Hooker: Controversy Over Main Entrance to Massachusetts State House

The General Hooker entrance is what most people use when entering the Massachusetts State House.

The name can lead to childish jokes, as the word hooker can refer to a prostitute, but the entryway and the statue in front of it honor a Massachusetts native who fought in the Civil War.

State Representative Michelle DuBois thinks a change to the entrance needs to be made.

“Maybe I’m a sensitive person but you know words matter,” said Rep. DuBois, a democrat from Brockton.

DuBois posted on social media that the sign is ‘tone deaf,’ linking it to the #metoo movement.

She says we don’t know who might be offended when they walk in to the State House.

“Maybe at home they’re being violated, beaten, called these names, and coming in under that sign, emotionally does damage to them,” DuBois said.

Peter Drummey, the librarian at the Massachusetts Historical Society, says the sign itself really just helps people find their way into the State House, and he wouldn’t have a major issue if it was changed.

“If it’s truly distressing I think it’s not necessary,” said Drummey. “It’s not historical in that sense.”

DuBois says she’d like to see the general’s first name added to the sign to remove any double meaning, or the sign should come down altogether.

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