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Not in Kansas Anymore: The Appeal of Oz for Gay Males by Dee Michel EVIDENCE In his book on Jungian analyse of homosesaslity, Robert Hopeke says: The Wizard of Or is tegarded with special affection and delight by the American gay community. Evidence ofthis is not hard to come by if one knows gay peopk: or is familiar with the gay community. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” she song peshaps most identified with the film, has long served as an unofficial anthem at gay pride ccle~ bations and parades, and the use of the rainbow flag as a gry pride symbol appear: to be pardy derived from this assotiasion. The phrase “friends of Dorothy” i common ly heard slang used by some gay men to refer to other gay Various lines, episodes, and charscters from the movie hive become a part of gay culture... A gay barin Madison, Wisconsin, has 2 mural at its entrance that depicts Dorothy and her dog, Toto, arriving in Oz as she utters her famous line, "Toro, I've a feeling were not in Kansas anymore”... [One sure way to see the collective gay male response to the movie would be to attend a showing in a gay neighborhood, where one could count on a very vocal audience particpation.! Other writer, gay or otherwise, summarize evidence of the MGM Wizards having a special place in the gay male subculture? Many more discuss the phenomenon, either in ‘mainstream sources! of from within the gay subeulture.t One such mainstream source is the 1999 biography of Judy Garland in which Sheridan Morley and Ruth Leon say “One jsue that no critic has yet faced head on is precisely how and when and wiy The Wizard of Oz became a gay landmark."S The evidence of the Oz/gay connection takes many ccher forms. The MGM movie appears consistently on Tits of favorite gay movies, such as “Saunlay Eighteen films every gay man should see”; "Fasten your seat belte-Tho ton gayest straight movies ever"7; High Camp: Gay Guide to Camp and Cult Fim; “Gay men and movies: rel 10 reat’, RoughCut,Coms "50 Fabulous Films”; and Popcorn’ “Fifty motion pictures worth saving” This is explicit evidence from within the gay subculeure. Or is also frequentiy used or alluded to within the gay subeulture Gay bars are called “Oz” (Wausau, Wisconsin) and “Over the Rainbow” (St. Paul, Minnesota). Gay businesses ot community organizations refer to Oz in their names (such as This Ain't Kansas.a gay-themed retailer, and Land of Aves, ‘gay resources information network). A gay community cen Jac at the movies ter in San Jose, California, recently used the Yellow Brick Road as the name of i Kandtaising campaign.” Sing-along showings of the movie have occurred as part of gay pride cel- ebrations and as an attraction targeted at gay tourists.!0:11 Allusions to oF uses of Oz slo frequently appear in gay non- fiction, journalism, advertisng, and especially in gay imagina- tive works such as plays, movies, and fiction. Of course many non-gay organizations, businesses, and works of literature use Oz references, But a more proper comparison would be with other minority subcultures. Do organizations catering to the deaf community or African Americans or adolescents use Oz as often as gay male groups do? Furthermore, the decision to use Oz is 2 conscious one, designed to appeal to gsy people as gay people. While most businesses don't explain cheir Oz affinity, one does: ‘Toto Tours was conceived to encourage gay trvelers to ind personal enrichment through adventure avel. This pioneering endeavor ... mirrored the quest of the fic- tional characters in “The Wiaaed of Oz,” who embarked uupon a shated journey in the hopes of finding courage, heart, and more worldly knowledge.'? sesame ‘This cartoon by Wisk Downes appeared in The Hew York en ach Con © 2002 The Hew Yr Caletion tom eaoantank.cam. Allis Reseree. Spring 2002, a ek Lamon an James Garer enue x “Al Doty Wareieg tant” ts ‘Sere tom My Fellow Amica. Capa © 1996 by Warmer Bos. i abs reeves Becuse gay men’ love of Oz is so prevalent, it has become part of the stereotype of gay men, Michael Thomas Ford says, “What kind of stereotypes are there about gay peo- ple? How about: lesbians hace men, gay men love The Wizant of O...27 A subcultural example comes fiom Love Bite, 2 {gay vampire movie set in West Hollywood. When asked ifhe has ever watched a movie, the character’ response is, “Well, Pve sen The Wizadd of Ox sixty-two times.” This stereotype ‘appears in such mainstream sources a8 a New Yorker cartoon. and a 1996 Hollywood movie, My Fellow Americans, which includes a scene ofan“All Dorothy Marching Band” in a gay pride parade. Whar is striking here is the asiumption that ‘non-gay readers or viewers will already know of the Oz/guy connection in order to gee the joke. Some gay men alio tale abou how the diffrent versions of the Oz story spoke to them as gay boys growing up, which is direct evidence for the Oz/say connection at 2 personal leyel, Alexander Doty writes: “Watching a a kid, | loved Dorothy, loved Toco ... fand) choughe the Tin Man was aecactive .... But | was really embarrased by the Cowardly Lion... Locking back, i all makes sense” Mark Thompson recalls that as with ll gay boys, my sexualiey was informed by furtive looks and the ever-present dread of discovery. ... The safest place to hide was the town's library. ... There I read and reread all fourteen of L. Frank Bam's Oz books; his ‘phantasmagorical land was the farthest point from Pacific Greve of any yet found. Keith Boykin notes that [daring my early ceenage years] my family and [saw [the film version of] The Hiz .... My parents videotaped the film, and I watched it over and over again for months, memorising many of the scenes and songs. I undorstood ambivalent feelings toward her family because I, too, felt I vas experiencing changes in my life that my family could not really understand. And Potrick Horrigan had « similar experience:"*When I vas ltde ... [never gave up trying to make the perfect home. Twas... like Dorothy in The Wiz .... The Wiz ... seemed to capere «., my mixed, inarticulate feelings about where I came from and where I was going to. Each type of evidence for the Oz/gay connection has its ‘own strengths and weiknestes. However, the combination of cexpiicit discussion of gay men’s love of the MGM movie from mainstream sources. che appearance of the movie on lists of favorite gay films, subcultural use of the MGM movie in a gay contest, and mainstream and subcultural references to the stereotype of gay mea liking the movie is quite powerful, with the diferent examples reinforcing one another, Furthermore, personal testimony from gay men explains how the MGM movie, The IViz, and the Oz books all spoke to them as gay boys growing up, Given all this evidence of aspe, ial connection between the gay male community and Oz, one cant help asking.“ What is the particular appeal of Oz for ‘ety men” Logic, craims My father, who was gay, read the Oz books to my brother and ne as bediime stories. As the gay brother, { continued the family tadition of Oz fandom, Of cour, | am not chiming that all gay males are entranced by either The Wenderjul Wi of Oz,0r the MGM movie, o both, Some of my gay fiends say they don’t understand the appeal of Oz, or they never par- ticularly liked the movie.!® The guadvant i the lower sight on the Oz fan diagiare represen te pay mules who are not Oz fans. Neither am I claiming that only gay males are drawn to Oz, Lesbians may ako have 9 special place in their hearts for rd eons vnio ozrans anewor of rane bs Osfens Se as who are not pegs 522 ‘eyites “Savmeuenor £52 ‘rte 38 Gay rat sina are not ‘Oz fone ins of 0 fas ané 2 nanan, organized ino ‘watranis at rele hecghout teat, (tt tat is estate nly: preprins aes tosale) 2 The Baum Bugle (02, but there is less evidence for that” Quite certainly, het- Judy Garland: Beyond the Rainbow (New: York: Arcade, 1999), 47 © Diba and Krumoler, 154-58, 7 Gmeaberg 71-72. © Bronksi 1986, 26-3. ° Boin,9. 10 See Keube. 4 Sce Giumpetruzzi Ware 1373, 4, 15 2-25, oe 17 130-40. TW Many gay males like Oz and go not rere idea pariculr “gay” thing After wriing W/eked, Gregory Maguire sad in 1995 that “it was only as: year that I discovered The Wizard of Or isthe special province of gay men" ax quoted in Galvin, 56. 1 Sce Peuberg end Snider See so Dory the kiss benwven Dozothy and Ozma on the bick cover of Tie Read fo Oz, and Glinda’s being surrounded by one hundred of che most beauifal maid ns in Oz (Lurie, 24) 29 Zamibowi, 34-35, 85. 21 Given the other items in the shops, such as same-sex greeting, ‘ands, gy pride paraphernalia, and gay magazines, iti clear that bayer for chose store do consciously pike all uheir stock in dhe belief that i will appeal « gay men ai gay men, Conversations with sere stl where posible have contirmed this methodolo- ma 2 The formal daa analysis and a much larger discussion of themes are part of a book-in-progres, tencatively tiled Friends of aroty: Cay Malec ond the Meanings of Or 24 Bock. 50. 2 Baum, 124,125, By. 2 129, ® Sec.7.p.13. M218, 3138, 7-72. 2274, 3473, 9 Possible exceptions include the villains ae well ay tho Glass Cat and the particularly anornunate Hungry Tiger Sea. o7451 39, > Sec.7,p.13. 10 See Radway 3 ‘The Baum Bugle

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