The 12 Greatt Female Gay Ins of All Time; Also: Nathan & Matthew back together on Broadway

Contents:

• WHY IS JUDY GARLAND THE ULTIMATE GAY IN?
• HOW JUDY GARLAND BEME A GAY IN — AND WHY SHE ENDUR AS ONE
• WHY JUDY GARLAND IS STILL SUCH A GAY IN
• WHAT MAK JUDY GARLAND A GAY IN? EXPERTS EXPLA WHAT SHE AND OTHERS, OM DIANA ROSS TO MADONNA, HAVE MON
• THE MANY, MANY REASONS WHY JUDY GARLAND WILL FOREVER BE A GAY IN: HER TRIUMPHS AND STGGL
• ‘FRIENDS OF DOROTHY’: HOW JUDY GARLAND BEME A GAY IN
• ANATOMY OF A GAY IN: JUDY GARLAND
• DID A STAR IS BORN MAKE JUDY GARLAND A GAY IN?
• RUF WAWRIGHT ON JUDY GARLAND AT 100 AND WHY SHE’S THE ULTIMATE GAY IN

WHY IS JUDY GARLAND THE ULTIMATE GAY IN?

”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. 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. 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.

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

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. 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. ”Gay men often reject gay cultural figur that they perceive as geared towards straight people – such as the st members of Netflix’s Queer EyeBut ntrastgly, the book How to be Gay, queer historian David Halper scrib a tensn wh the “mastream” that leads gay men to be “highly cril, if not ntemptuo, of their own artists, wrers and filmmakers”.

He draws a key distctn between gay culture – where “nventnal” whe gay men are domant – and gay subculture – where women, drag queens, queer people of lour and trans people are more visible. This some gay men to reject gay cultural figur that they perceive as geared towards straight people – such as, to e two very current exampl, the st members of Netflix’s Queer Eye and gay Democratic printial ndidate Pete Buttigeig. Instead many embrace subcultural – and their ey, more subversive – female narrativ like Garland’ seen the new film Judy, Garland found a new niche as a live sger towards the end of her life (Cred: David Hdley / LD Entertament/ Roadsi Attractns)So, pendg on which way you look at , “disintifyg” wh Garland is eher gay men’s way of feelg aligned to mastream culture – or, fact, rejectg in athIt is an unavoidable tth that Garland’s tragic and untimely ath has also ntributed to her stat as a gay in, makg her a timels figure.

WHY JUDY GARLAND IS STILL SUCH A GAY IN

” But s later, you don’t have to look far to see how Garland was the first a ntug leage of ‘tragic’ female celebri who have acquired the stat of gay would e to a Judy Garland ncert and then scream at her when she was too dnk to fish – Dr Michael BronskiElements of Garland’s story n be found that of Diana, Prcs of Wal, and her mistreatment at the hands of the prs; Prcs Margaret, wh her ongog substance issu, and marriage to an exploative man who was moured to be gay; and Brney Spears, whose child stardom culmated a very public divorce and mental health stggl. As Dr Michael Bronski, a Harvard Universy profsor and the thor of books on queer history and gay culture, asserts a recent article on the dark si of “stan” (superfan) culture: "There is a long history of gay male fan culture latchg onto famo women and then turng on them. Whether ’s Katy Perry beg, as journalist Brian O’Flynn wr, “gay Twter’s punchg bag”, or gay fans drsg as ‘bald Brney’ for Halloween and turng up to meet-and-greets drsed stume om Spears’s famo 2007 breakdown, gay men n be creasgly fickle towards famo a former child sat who has endured mental health stggl, Brney Spears is one of many female celebri whose experienc rell Garland’s (Cred: Alamy)Idolisg the women is one thg, but we shouldn’t treat them like playthgs for our entertament.

And om the streets of Wisteria Lane to Big Ltle Li and the Real Hoewiv anchise, pop-culture enurag to love female characters when they’re screamg hysterilly, so we n nnse their pa to hilarly mp GIFs and say “yassss kween” as they smash up their is a huge part of what draws gay men towards women like Garland. 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.

WHAT MAK JUDY GARLAND A GAY IN? EXPERTS EXPLA WHAT SHE AND OTHERS, OM DIANA ROSS TO MADONNA, HAVE MON

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. 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. " 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.

" 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. The 12 most fabulo gay ins of all time (female divisn) GarlandThe woman who uld tear your heart out wh a melody and some moist ey, Judy appeals to the outst , as we long to go over the rabow and fd acceptance and a pot of gold.

Judy's vulnerabily ma her a quiverg gay in, as did the fact that for years, she kept on gog, able to belt out one more song spe the rigors of the bs that always tried to squeeze more juice out of her brilliance.

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

But I have to give a special shout out to Kylie Mogue, who's more cerebral than sexual, and who is a long-nng gay bar favore, whether vios or the MnelliJudy's dghter has a lot of the same pip, vulnerabily, and love of gays as mama, though she's rved her own niche of "tly terrific, absolutely te" mil them bells for Liza. MadonnaA straight man's fantasy as the Material Girl, she was also a gay man's dream, seeg as she appreciated her rabow-clive fan base, dulged "vogug, " and had some closerthanthis lbian gal pals.

I'm sred a GagaMore than a Madonna mi-me, Gaga has taken advantage of the social workg skills and overall ankns of her generatn to not only sg about gay rights, but to speak about them and really make a difference the procs. Her lbian dghter is now her son, and her fans clu so many LGBTs that, if you're at a Cher ncert and the people to eher si of you are straight, then you're fely DeGener, Rosie O'Donnell, Jodie Foster, Rachel Maddow, Gert SteI recently wrote about how gay men and lbians don't seek each other's opns enough, but when to the above ins, the gay guys notice and bow down.

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

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.

ANATOMY OF A GAY IN: JUDY GARLAND

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. "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. 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.

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

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. ”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.

(Photos: Getty Imag; llage by Nathalie Cz for Yahoo Life)Throughout the s, LGBTQ people have ed the term “gay in” to scribe a specific kd of public figure: typilly a larger-than-life diva whose life, work and allyship has ma a signifint impact on queer culture and s voted what mak a gay in, well, inic? Goln Age stars like Joan Crawford, who was reportedly bisexual, and Bette Davis were revered by queer fans not jt for their mpy performanc, but also bee they were surround by gay people their personal ’s easy to e blanket terms like “mp, ” “diva” or “glamor” when attemptg to scribe such ins, the gay-culture cric Michael Mto explas that not all of them explicly fall to the tegori — jt as all are not pop sgers or movie stars. “Queer people are opprsed, by nature, so we rely oftentim on gay ins to lift up, to elevate , to te and spire , ” explas Mto, who creds such ins for providg queer people tharsis tim of trma — whether durg the height of the AIDS crisis or amid the anti-trans culture war to fully grasp the ncept of the gay in, 's important to go back a b, to the mother of all gay ins: Judy Garland.

Friends of DorothyAs Vilanch explas, the morn archetype of a gay in is monly unrstood to be the legendary Garland, who would have turned 100 this year (promptg celebratns cludg -theater Wizard of Oz screengs and a perfume lnch). The star’s image, as a tortured soul who suffered for her art, layered wh credible talent and unwaverg loyalty to her gay fanbase, stck a chord wh the long-opprsed LGBTQ muny — and still do a time when beg out was dangero, Garland’s ncerts were well-attend by out gay men, lbians and trans people alike. " (Photo: Frank Rso/NY Daily News via Getty Imag)She's even thought to be nnected, at least tangentially, to the phrase "iend of Dorothy, " d slang, and the way gay men sometim referred to each other as far back as World War II.

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

The term probably refers to the misf pals of Dorothy The Wizard of Oz, as portrayed on screen by Garland (although the term has also been associated wh the Amerin satirist of the 1920s Dorothy Parker) any event, Vilanch says of Garland, “There was a tremendo amount of simpati, a back-and-forth, between her gay fans and herself. Of urse, Mnelli won the hearts of queer fans for her reer-turng role 1972’s Cabaret, which earned her an Amy Award, as well as for her reputatn In the 1970s for “partyg wh the gays” at Stud 54, cludg wh her ar iend Halston (not to mentn that two of her ex-hbands, Peter Allen and David Gt, were mored to be gay). Vilanch pots out that divas like Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross were also grabbg their share of attentn, displayg a sensibily that ronated wh gay, who was raised Hawaii before startg out on her reer 1970s New York Cy sgg at a gay men's bathhoe, is a unique example of an in who earned her reputatn the gay muny before makg to the mastream.

Pl, she’s long been an outspoken advote for equaly (no doubt fueled by support for her son, Jason Gould, a gay man) the same ve, Ross's mic has been a bean for LGBTQ fans through the s, startg wh her glamoro start wh the Suprem. ”The future is tersectnal While pop idols and ins like David Bowie, Elton John and Melissa Etheridge have spoken publicly about their queer inti throughout their reers, ’s important to note that the ia of out and proud LGBTQ people — pecially Black nonbary/trans folks — beg embraced by gay and mastream dienc alike is a fairly new one.