How Judy Garland beme a gay in — and why she endur as one |

Contents:

• WHY IS JUDY GARLAND THE ULTIMATE GAY IN?
• WHY JUDY GARLAND IS STILL SUCH 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
• WHAT MAK JUDY GARLAND A GAY IN? EXPERTS EXPLA WHAT SHE AND OTHERS, OM DIANA ROSS TO MADONNA, HAVE MON
• WHY JUDY’S DIRECTOR ADD SCEN FEATURG HER GAY FANS
• RUF WAWRIGHT ON JUDY GARLAND AT 100 AND WHY SHE’S THE ULTIMATE GAY IN
• ‘JUDY’ FACT CHECK: IS THE GAY COUPLE JUDY GARLAND BEIENDS BASED ON A REAL COUPLE?

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. 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.

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.

WHY JUDY GARLAND IS STILL SUCH A GAY IN

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.

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

” 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. 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.

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

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.

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

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.

WHY JUDY’S DIRECTOR ADD SCEN FEATURG HER GAY FANS

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.

” 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. Much has been wrten about the supprsive effect of the “male gaze” on women, but surely the “gay gaze” is also to years after Garland’s ath, her legacy liv on.

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

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. 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.

‘JUDY’ FACT CHECK: IS THE GAY COUPLE JUDY GARLAND BEIENDS BASED ON A REAL COUPLE?

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. Judy, a new bpic ncerng Judy Garland, was adapted om Peter Quilter’s stage play End of the Rabow, a work that wrer Robert Lelx has characterised as “a gay versn of Passn of the Christ” film, which featur a big, showy turn om Renée Zellweger, is reful to clu two fictnalised gay super-fans who have bought many tickets for Garland’s five-week bookg at the Talk of the Town nightclub London 1969, jt months before her ath om a barburate overdose, aged ’s the latt maniftatn of Judyism, the gay, quasi-relig worship of The Wizard of Oz star. “When I die I have visns of fags sgg ‘Over the Rabow’ and the flag at Fire Island beg flown at half mast, ” she told Liza, a reference to a preferred, upstate NY gay rort.

She went further the film I Could Go On Sgg (1963), wh a wk to gay viewers the dience: “I’ve already dnk enough ffee to float Fire Island, ” she ’s “gay in stat” even has s own mythology. Charl Kaiser’s 1997 book The Gay Metropolis: The Landmark History of Gay Life Ameri not that the Stonewall protts happened hours after Garland’s spectacular funeral, an event that saw 20, 000 New Yorkers le the streets to see her whe glass ff – the biggt funeral Manhattan had wnsed sce Valento’s ath Garland a promotnal still for Prentg Lily Mars (1943). ”This ia of Judy Garland's repertoire, pecially her Grammy-wng live rerdg Judy at Carnegie Hall (1961) – the first double album to sell more than a ln uns – as a dramatisatn of gay life, is not was “the Elvis for homosexuals”, Barry Walters once wrote The Advote, “a symbol of emotnal liberatn, a woman who stggled to live and love whout rtrat.