"*My two cents: at the time, it was widely believed that Harold could be gay. However, I never heard any rumors about the underwear at the time of his death (and I was extremely well-positioned to have heard it). Nelson's stated goal of ""humanizing"" him is a very good motive for him to make up such a rumor, so we would need a source that predates the creation of the painting to include it. The picture should be confined to the Mirth & Girth page, but the controversy was so huge that mention must be made of it on the Harold Washington page.   

"