Why is judy garland an icon for gay men

The reasons frequently given for her standing as an icon among gay men are admiration of her ability as a performer, the way her personal struggles seemed to mirror those of gay men in America during the height of her fame, and her value as a camp figure. [2]. To many gay men, Garland is the mother of all icons. But why? While Garland was still alive, critics made ham-fisted attempts to answer this question. A review of her Palace.

The term "Friend of Dorothy," referencing her The Wizard of Oz character, became popular code among gay men to self-identify, and rumors still persist that it was Garland's funeral that. Judy Garland, seen here performing at Carnegie Hall in to an array of adoring male fans, is the modern archetype of a "gay icon." (Photo: Frank Russo/NY Daily News via Getty Images).

Judy’s “gay icon status” even has its own mythology.

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Garland’s most performed song, Over the Rainbow, may be the inspiration for the universal symbol of the LGBTQ movement, the rainbow flag. Do you remember the first time you heard the Judy Carnegie Hall album? Events Requests Social Networks. Her emotional depth and vulnerability in her performances and life resonated with those who experienced marginalization and adversity.

Login Edit Profile Change Password. July 11, Photos Newsletter Nexus Store. The afternoon will feature numerous Broadway shows with music, giveaways, and Pride-filled fun. He began watching her films, listening to her music and learning about her life.

The rainbow is gone. Four months later, 47 year-old Garland was found dead in Chelsea, London, after accidentally overdosing on the drugs she had self-medicated with since childhood. And in a more fluid age of sexuality and gender, are the shoes still relevant as gay icons? Another was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota in the shoes were recovered in after a year disappearance.

The Rise of a Star. When push comes to shove, are gay men really there for the women we claim to worship? A survivor is born. I sing to people! Garland had a comeback moment in showbiz drama A Star is Born — but it was short-lived Credit: Alamy. Many gay men turn to women like Judy Garland to help them navigate their own experiences of the world. Many identified with the struggles, humiliations and exploitation of both the child star and the fading adult star, who in her tragic final decades embodied and performed all the pain of the ultimate torch singer.

After the family settled in California, Ethel Gumm began to promote her daughters as a performing trio, known as The Gumm Sisters. Drugs and financial instability were a near-constant presence in her life and she was suspended numerous times by MGM for missing shoot days or being incoherent, intoxicated and abusive on set. Live Proud. Garland's Enduring Legacy. Much like her gingham-dressed alter ego, swept away by the winds into a magical, Technicolor world, Garland was plucked from obscurity to become a cultural icon.

By Diep Tran June 17, Getty Images. A year later, when she fell pregnant, her mother convinced her to have an illegal abortion.