Early on, durg my first ial days wh the gay culture of San Francis, I was bemed by the near reverential treatment paid to the film “The Wizard of Oz.” Yet, thkg back to my […]
Contents:
- WHY IS JUDY GARLAND THE ULTIMATE GAY IN?
- THE ENDURG (GAY?) APPEAL OF 'THE WIZARD OF OZ': MISTER OF CULTURE
- PHILALPHIA GAY NEWS
- 'HELLO YELLOW BRICK ROAD' — SF GAY MEN'S CHOS PAYS HOMAGE TO ELTON JOHN AND OZ
- CONNECTICUT LBIAN AND GAY LAW
- ‘FRIENDS OF DOROTHY’: HOW JUDY GARLAND BEME A GAY IN
- CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; WHY OZ IS A STATE OF MD IN GAY LIFE AND DRAG SHOWS
- OVER THE RABOW: THE GAY MALE OBSSN WH THE WIZARD OF OZ
WHY IS JUDY GARLAND THE ULTIMATE GAY IN?
I attend a fabulo performance of "The Wizard of Oz" last night and afterward, I got to thkg about the lsons, parallels and symbolism that play and how they might apply to the gay and lbian muny. You all thk I've gone crazy? Nope, I assure you I'm ser. Thk about . We've got… * wizard of oz and gay community *
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. 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.
THE ENDURG (GAY?) APPEAL OF 'THE WIZARD OF OZ': MISTER OF CULTURE
New bpic Judy latt maniftatn of gay, quasi-relig worship of Wizard of Oz in * wizard of oz and gay community *
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.
PHILALPHIA GAY NEWS
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. 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.
'HELLO YELLOW BRICK ROAD' — SF GAY MEN'S CHOS PAYS HOMAGE TO ELTON JOHN AND OZ
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. At a time when gay people om middle Ameri left their hom for more liberal stat like New York and San Francis, Dorothy wantg to pe her small town of Kansas was highly relatable to this mographic.
The feelgs of a girl nfed to a place wh nothg but ignorance and trouble for her are very siar to what a gay man would have felt the homophobic society of early 20th century Ameri. Espg to a magil Land of Oz, although a romantic sentiment, is exactly what a gay person would want; a world where they are ee to be themselv, where they have iends who love them and a society that embrac them. This, perhaps, is what mak the movie so appealg to the gay muny; provis one of the most margalized groups wh the reassurance that they are enough, that they have what tak to be themselv.
CONNECTICUT LBIAN AND GAY LAW
”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.
‘FRIENDS OF DOROTHY’: HOW JUDY GARLAND BEME A GAY IN
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.
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. 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. ” This physil secury is somethg that many gay men n intify wh, particular, as a mographic more likely to battle body dysmorphia, harm their bodi, attempt suici and suffer om eatg disorrs.
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; WHY OZ IS A STATE OF MD IN GAY LIFE AND DRAG SHOWS
In the book, Changg Gay Male Inti, Dr Andrew Cooper suggts that the body n be a plex battleground for many gay men: that the body be a key se for projectg a “succsful” sense of self to gay peers, but also for embodyg succs the ey of wir society.
OVER THE RABOW: THE GAY MALE OBSSN WH THE WIZARD OF OZ
But the Osr end up gog to Grace Kelly, signallg that Garland’s Hollywood star was not gog to be reigned after this pot, the motif of Garland as a ‘survivor’ be central to her gay appeal. A Star is Born further blurred the le between her work and life, wh Richard Dyer intifyg this as the moment where Garland’s image of beg “damaged goods” be an sential part of her star persona and gay in stat.