I’d known for some time that I was queer. But I didn’t feel fortable wh myself until I saw “The Wizard of Oz” at a cema the Castro San Francis. Seeg the film lor on the big screen wh other gay moviegoers, I felt ready, wh Gilda and everyone Oz to “e out, e out” wherever I was.
Contents:
- WHY IS JUDY GARLAND THE ULTIMATE GAY IN?
- THE ENDURG (GAY?) APPEAL OF 'THE WIZARD OF OZ': MISTER OF CULTURE
- WHICH ACTORS THE WIZARD OF OZ WERE GAY?
- ON THIS GAY DAY: ‘THE WIZARD OF OZ’ WAS RELEASED
- PHILALPHIA GAY NEWS
- HOW JUDY GARLAND BEME A GAY IN — AND WHY SHE ENDUR AS ONE
- 'HELLO YELLOW BRICK ROAD' — SF GAY MEN'S CHOS PAYS HOMAGE TO ELTON JOHN AND OZ
WHY IS JUDY GARLAND THE ULTIMATE GAY IN?
'Over the Rabow' is jt the begng of Judy Garland's stat as an endurg gay in. * wizard of oz and gay pride *
It is, of urse, mon knowledge that Judy Garland is a gay in — beloved and worshiped by gay men of a certa age and class — but what else explas the ubiquo referenc to “Oz” drag performanc and the nam of bars and bs terg to the muny?
It would be a mistake to nfe a discsn of The Wizard of Oz to a certa class of gay men, but seekg a pot of orig, there is a domant narrative of queer history which “Oz” and Garland were important parts of a mostly whe, middle-class, urban gay male subculture by the 1950s. The orig of the exprsn “Friend of Dorothy, ” which beme a phrase ed by gay men to intify themselv to each other, is lost to history — may have predated this era, and may not even refer to Garland’s role the movie, but the belief that do is wispread (another possibily is that refers to Dorothy Parker, who was also a iend to gays). Acrdg to “Oz” scholar Dee Michel, who is wrg a book on “Oz” and gay men, there are certa beliefs about the film and the LGBT muny that persist spe of a lack of clear historil evince.
THE ENDURG (GAY?) APPEAL OF 'THE WIZARD OF OZ': MISTER OF CULTURE
The Wizard of Oz display at the Barbie Pond on Avenue Q was supposed to celebrate D.C.'s gay muny durg Pri month. When was stroyed, fans tried to intify the vandal. * wizard of oz and gay pride *
“The beliefs, ” he said, “overlap and rerce each other and have bee part of gay folklore, creasg our sense of history and rercg gay inty. Other prt referenc to “Oz” as an unrground culture shared by gay men seem to show up the 1970s and ’80s, lookg back and attemptg to expla the appeal of the film.
WHICH ACTORS THE WIZARD OF OZ WERE GAY?
The explanatns often take the form of an intifitn of gay men and others wh a girl om a small muny who is misunrstood by her fay, who is whisked away to a place where she be iends wh characters who seem like they uld be gay men (pecially the Cowardly Ln, who refers to himself as a “sissy” and “dandy ln”).
The story beme a metaphor for the real-life dreams and experienc of gay men who left middle Ameri for the gay muni of New York Cy and San Francis, which were analogized to Oz or the Emerald Cy. Garland’s stggl seemed to mirror those of gay men at the time, and she was admired for risg above her problems performance, although as she noted herself, she was never able to get over the rabow her life off the stage or screen.
ON THIS GAY DAY: ‘THE WIZARD OF OZ’ WAS RELEASED
Neverthels, gay folklore and film ntue to tell the story, que possibly imposg the perspective of whe, cisgenr gay male historians on an event that was largely the work of queer and trans people of lor.
Ten years later, at the 1979 March on Washgton, acrdg to Michael Bronski, lbian sger Holly Near end her set wh Over the Rabow, llg the gay natnal anthem. The Wiz, a Broadway mil produced by a black gay man and adapted as a film starrg Diana Ross, occupi an important place both black and gay culture, as evinced by the muny-watch parti and Twter rpons to the recent live broadst on NBC. After the suici aths of several young people the fall of 2010, cludg Rutgers Universy stunt Tyler Clementi, crowds gathered for a vigil New York’s Washgton Square Park, wavg rabow-lored glow sticks while openly gay Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson led them sgg Over the Rabow.
While nowadays seems like any celebry a gay person lik n be lled a “gay in, ” there are a few nonil gay ins like Cher, Lady Gaga, and of urse, Judy Garland. The old Hollywood movie star and sger is the qutsential gay in for several reasons, cludg her tragic life, her theatril persona, and her performance the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz. The Victor Flemg mil is celebrated by a queer dience and beme a gay cult classic the 1970’s and 1980’s (the term “iend of Dorothy” beg for gay man).
PHILALPHIA GAY NEWS
Time magaze, when wrg about Garland’s performanc London shortly before her ath, wrote that gay men intified wh Garland bee they saw themselv her. The Wizard of Oz is now part of the queer non, and not jt bee “iend of Dorothy” beme for homosexual as I mentned above. That om terpretg the three central male characters Srecrow (Ray Bolger), T Man (Jack Haley), and the Cowardly Ln (Bert Lahr) as gay men revolvg around a mpy heroe (Judy Garland’s Dorothy).
” Havg seen The Wizard of Oz as a child, Ross was further drawn towards Judy Garland his late teens, around the same time he me out as gay. ”More like this- Film’s most shockg moments- How Friends changed our ia of fay- The bt films of 2019 so farRoss is far om the only gay man to feel such strong affy wh Garland’s work and life.
Gay magaze The Advote once lled her the “Elvis of homosexuals”, and a 1967 review of Garland's ncert at New York Cy’s Palace Theatre, Time Magaze observed that a “disproportnate part of her nightly claque” was gay. Two years earlier, Garland herself had been asked if at a San Francis prs nference if she md havg such a large gay followg, to which she rpond: “I uldn’t re ls.
HOW JUDY GARLAND BEME A GAY IN — AND WHY SHE ENDUR AS ONE
The buzz surroundg the release, partnered wh the 2018 remake of A Star is Born – the inic showbiz drama that earned Garland an Amy Award nomatn 1954 – has brought her distctly gay legacy back to bpic Judy, Renée Zellweger plays Garland – and is a favoure for next year’s Osrs (Cred: David Hdley/ LD Entertament / Roadsi Attractns)To many gay men, Garland is the mother of all ins. “It seems to be a signifint tegory of gay men, particular, who are vted celebri or the mp athetic that Garland embodi.
Analysg her story, om upbrgg to ath, helps unrstand how and why some gay men look to famo women to help them navigate the town to Tseltown In 1922, Garland was born Franc Ethel Gumm – named after her parents Frank and Ethel – Grand Rapids, Mnota. One is not brought up gay – Richard DyerThis perd Garland’s life, which mirrored closely the story of Dorothy, has ntributed signifintly to her stat as a gay in.
'HELLO YELLOW BRICK ROAD' — SF GAY MEN'S CHOS PAYS HOMAGE TO ELTON JOHN AND OZ
In his book, Heavenly Bodi: Film Stars and Society, profsor Richard Dyer observ some gay men intify wh Garland’s rejectn of the ordars that she seemed sted for as a child.
He theoris that turng out to be abnormal after beg “saturated wh the valu or ordars” is a pot where Garland and Dorothy’s stori align wh the experience of some gay men, enuragg those who perceive themselv as ‘different’ to gravate towards troubleGarland’s arrival as a major Hollywood star was plited by a seri of disastro personal relatnships, most notably wh herself.