Garland spent much of the decade on popular concert tours, and it was also during this time that “The Wizard of Oz” began to be shown on television on an annual basis. It would be a mistake to confine a discussion of “The Wizard of Oz” to a certain class of gay men, but in seeking a point of origin, there is a dominant narrative of queer history in which “Oz” and Garland were important parts of a mostly white, middle-class, urban gay male subculture by the 1950s. It is, of course, common knowledge that Judy Garland is a gay icon - beloved and worshiped by gay men of a certain age and class - but what else explains the ubiquitous references to “Oz” in drag performances and in the names of bars and businesses catering to the community? Movie quotes appear on an array of LGBT-themed merchandise, from postcards of Dorothy enticing us to visit San Francisco to Glinda T-shirts impelling us to “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” ![]() Nobody seems to know quite how or why “The Wizard of Oz” became such an enduring part of LGBT community and culture.
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