Renée Zellweger on Why Judy Garland Is the Ultimate Gay In

Contents:

• HOW JUDY GARLAND BEME A GAY IN — AND WHY SHE ENDUR AS ONE
• WHY JUDY GARLAND IS STILL SUCH A GAY IN
• THE MANY, MANY REASONS WHY JUDY GARLAND WILL FOREVER BE A GAY IN: HER TRIUMPHS AND STGGL
• RUF WAWRIGHT ON JUDY GARLAND AT 100 AND WHY SHE’S THE ULTIMATE GAY IN
• DID A STAR IS BORN MAKE JUDY GARLAND A GAY IN?
• ‘FRIENDS OF DOROTHY’: HOW JUDY GARLAND BEME A GAY IN

HOW JUDY GARLAND BEME A GAY IN — AND WHY SHE ENDUR AS ONE

Judy Garland was an entertaer of the hight orr, a eply troubled movie star, and, even durg her lifetime, a gay in. While she was alive, Garland was a figure of tense adulatn among the gay muny; she herself was very aware that many of her most voted fans were queer.

As early as 1967, mastream publitns were discsg the profn of gay men attendance at Garland's ncerts and attemptg to dissect her particular appeal. The term "Friend of Dorothy, " referencg her The Wizard of Oz character, beme popular among gay men to self-intify, and mors still persist that was Garland's 1969 funeral that sparked the epoch-fg Stonewall rts, the begng of the morn gay-rights movement.

Richard Dyer, who first wrote about Garland's stat as a gay in 1986's Heavenly Bodi: Film Stars and Society, suggts that her reer followed a trajectory of self-disvery, siar to those of many of her fans.

WHY JUDY GARLAND IS STILL SUCH A GAY IN

In a way, that is the gay bgraphy growg up. " Nathaniel Frank, an expert on LGBTQ public policy and thor of Awakeng: How Gays and Lbians Brought Marriage Equaly to Ameri, ph the pot further.

While neher Frank or Dyer n ppot how or why the term "Friend of Dorothy" entered the gay lexin, they both cred the beloved 1939 fantasy as playg a key role Garland's ntued ronance. " Some have suggted that Garland's imable performance of "Over the Rabow" is part of what led to the rabow beg adopted as a symbol of gay pri. "A lot of the gay ins are mp the sense that she n be imated — there's a certa kd of exaggeratn her mannerisms that's very easily imated, " he says.

At MGM, she was surround by gay men and workg closely wh them, so she was very ward wh that culture and beme part of her vobulary. " THE WIZARD OF OZ, Judy Garland, 1939 Judy Garland 'The Wizard of Oz' | Cred: Everett Collectn Another plited ponent of Garland's stat as a gay in was her own timacy wh gay men. Both Dyer and Frank say Garland was aware that many of her fans were gay.

THE MANY, MANY REASONS WHY JUDY GARLAND WILL FOREVER BE A GAY IN: HER TRIUMPHS AND STGGL

"She wasn't as explic about embracg gay people as stars a later era might've been, but she was no fool. And she didn't nvey homophobia or transphobia any explic way, eher. " It's also well-talogued that Garland had personal relatnships wh several gay men.

RUF WAWRIGHT ON JUDY GARLAND AT 100 AND WHY SHE’S THE ULTIMATE GAY IN

Many historians believe her father was gay or bisexual, and she married at least two gay men (Vcente Mnelli, Mark Herron). "I wouldn't venture to say that Judy was fully nsc of the fact that she had close relatnships wh men who turned out to be gay, " says Frank. He rells a letter he once received om a gay Garland fan, which scribed the shows as moments that "gave you permissn to be gay public for an eveng.

DID A STAR IS BORN MAKE JUDY GARLAND A GAY IN?

" Dyer remas somewhat surprised by Garland's stayg power, particularly the face of more recent gay-ronant ins who have followed her, artists such as Kylie Mogue, Lady Gaga, and Madonna. That sense of 'There's somethg there but n't que be said' is such a part of the emotns her image and her performanc, that is dramatizg that very moment of movg om beg the closet to beg open about beg gay. Judy Garland has long been nsired one of the world's most regnised and celebrated gay ins, somethg that has been reaffirmed this year by what is about the sger and actrs, once dubbed, that mak her cultural legacy so endurg, particularly for members of the LGBTIQ+ muny?

In the review, the cric noted that a "disproportnate part of her nightly claque seems to be homosexual" - addg that "[t]he boys the tight troers" would "roll their ey, tear at their hair and practilly levate om their seats" as Garland Garland ntu to leave her mark on popular culture today. Source: Getty Imag, NBCThis particular review was published at a time when the gay rights movement was reachg boilg pot the Uned Stat - only two years before Garland's ath 1969, which (though others disagree wh this asssment) her throngs of gay fans 1967 didn't e om nowhere.

They were the so-lled 'Friends of Dorothy (a gay men sometim ed to intify each other when was otherwise dangero to do so); those who had found solace and regnn Garland's portrayal of Dorothy Gale The Wizard of Oz. In, wrer Steven Frank med that Dorothy's journey om Kansas to Oz "mirrored many gay men's sir to pe the black-and-whe limatns of small town life...

‘FRIENDS OF DOROTHY’: HOW JUDY GARLAND BEME A GAY IN

"Frank boiled down Garland's stat as a gay in to "gay men’s willgns to embrace and fd value the kds of movi and characters that the rt of the public viewed as outsirs or wh disgt" - drawg a parison to the queer muny's celebratn of Joan Crawford durg her late reer, when the general public's opn of her was wang. Her mannerisms and inic performanc also ntue to be shows like Will & Grace, which, turn, has been creded wh movg the p forward on gay reprentatn the mastream media sce premierg the years, emergg tails of Garland's ght personal life have only served to further cement her ronance for members of the LGBTIQ+ muny. Then her dghter, Liza Mnelli, a gay in her own right, 's no nyg that Garland's fay tree is a fairly uy impact Garland had on her gay fans has never been up for bate.

But this year, the film Judy, Garland's gay fans have fally been regnised for havg a strong impact on the sger small characters the film, the geoly named Stan and Dan, are shown wag for Garland outsi a nightclub London. Lonely, the star v the pair to jo her for on the night, Garland fds herself at Stan and Dan's apartment, learng all about the challeng faced by gay people London at a time where homosexualy meant persecutn.

“The gay muny weren’t allowed to lead normal liv, and there is an tertg parallel wh Garland, who’s tryg to fd a normal life for herself and her children, " he said. ”While the film's subplot may act as somethg of a history lson for younger viewers, many don't need remdg, wh Garland's stat as a gay in terwoven to our llective unrstandg and appreciatn of gay culture. My story isn’t unique – Judy Garland is, obvly, a bonafi gay in.