Wholesale Friend of Dorothy

It's said Judy Garland once told her daughter, Liza, “When I die I have visions of fags singing ‘Over the Rainbow’ and the flag at Fire Island being flown at half mast." In fact, the Stonewall Riots began the night of her death, and although not connected, it makes for a charming story. The phrase “friend of Dorothy” – a slang term for gay men that refers to Garland’s character in The Wizard of Oz – dates to the second World War and likely relates to the Cowardly Lion, an avowed sissy, and the alternate, rainbow family that Dorothy gathers around her. In 1906's "Road to Oz," Polychrome (the Rainbow’s daughter) tells Dorothy "You have some queer friends, Dorothy.