Episode #030222: Short Stuff: Friends of Dorothy

The gay community had to use code not too many years ago and one way they identified was as “Friends of Dorothy.” So who was Dorothy?

AI Summary

# Episode Summary

This Stuff You Should Know episode dives into the fascinating history behind "friend of Dorothy," a coded slang phrase used by LGBTQ+ people to identify themselves discreetly, particularly during World War II and beyond. Josh and Chuck explore multiple theories about who Dorothy actually was—from London socialite Dorothy King to celebrated writer Dorothy Parker to Andy Warhol's muse Dorothy Dean—before revealing the likely true origin: Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz, a film that resonated deeply with the gay community thanks to Judy Garland's iconic performance and the story's themes of transformation and accepting unconventional friendships. Along the way, they uncover the bizarre Cold War-era military witch hunt where intelligence agencies actually tried to hunt down "Dorothy" thinking she was a real person helping gay servicemen.

Movies Discussed

End of the Rainbow

1986 PG 15m

"a stage play, but was later produced into Judy starring Renee Zellweger. The stage play was called End of the Rainbow — Referenced as a stage play about Judy Garland that was later made into a film, used to illustrate Garland's iconic status in the gay community." — Josh

Gnomes & Trolls II: The Forest Trial

2020 1h 29m

★ 10.0

"later produced into Judy starring Renee Zellweger — Film about Judy Garland's life, mentioned as an adaptation of the stage play End of the Rainbow." — Josh

The Wizard of Oz

1939 1h 42m

★ 7.6

"the movie Wizard of Oz is special in the LGBTQ community because Dorothy kind of comes out — Discussed how the Wizard of Oz movie resonates with the LGBTQ community through Dorothy's transformation and the film's themes." — Josh

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