Gay Men and the Wizard of Oz

6/11/2018

Outside a gift shop in Toronto’s gay neighborhood.

I am the author of a new book, “Friends of Dorothy: Why Gay Boys and Gay Men Love The Wizard of Oz.”

Researching, writing and getting this book out there has been a long process (twenty years!), but things have accelerated in the last few weeks. As a first time author, I thought readers might be interested in the process of writing, publishing and marketing my first book. As well as reflecting on the past, I will be talking about what is happening currently with the book: readings and other special events.

So, what is the story with Oz and gay men? It’s not simply a matter, as many people assume, of gay men being into Judy Garland. I have interviewed over 100 gay Oz fans and it turns out gay men are also fans of the Oz books, as well as Wicked and The Wiz. Also my respondents became fans when they were as young as 3 or 4 or 5 years old. Even if their first exposure to Oz was the MGM film with Judy Garland, they were not signing on to fandom because they gave heard that Judy is a gay icon, or that they themselves were aware of being gay. Something is going on at a much deeper level. Themes of all sorts in stories set in Oz resonate with young gay boys. “Friends of Dorothy” details the existence of the Oz-gay connection, presents responses of individual fans to Oz stories, and then puts the phenomenon of gay love of Oz into a broader social and cultural context.

Stay tuned and I look forward to your responses here!

3 Comments

Guy

6/15/2018 11:30:38 am

Research & reassurance! What a great accomplishment: congrats! Mom and Dad are so proud of you! And so am I in being your brother. A great job of clearly and distinctly showing how culture, fantasy, childhood and psychic survival all bleed over into each other (sorry, can't think of a more apt phrase). Sounds like what Mom did with her writing. And achieving this through the desire to figure out your own young and continuing infatuation, which has stimulated you into decades of research, giving you the vision and ability---and the generosity---to "(put) the phenomenon of gay love of Oz into a broader social and cultural context." You took a boyhood fascination fromwhat might have been regarded as super-specialized proprietary circumscription, a super-specialized subject, to show how it can demonstrate universal truths about the human race.
This will be so reassuring and validating to a large number people!

Dee Michel

6/15/2018 02:42:49 pm

Thanks a lot for your sweet and perceptive comments. :-)

Maria

2/9/2019 12:27:21 pm

My husband and I recently attended a Fathom Events screening of The Wizard of Oz and discussed the film afterward. Both of us had seen the film dozens of times, but this was the first time either of us noticed how effeminate the Cowardly Lion was. I just learned about your upcoming lecture at our GLBT museum on February 13, and will do my best to be there!! I can't wait to read your book!!

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