Judy Garland and that night at Stonewall
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Sixteen year old Judy Garland first sang the famous Somewhere Over the Rainbow in the movie, The Wizard of Oz, released in 1939. For many in the queer community during the 1940s through the 1960s the song became an anthem of longing for a place where things might be better, safer and more accepting.
Garland’s amazing voice carried both sadness and strength and her performances were always full of emotion. Her personal struggles with addiction, mental illness, family instability, and pressure from Hollywood made her seem relatable to people who also felt pushed to the margins.
Are you a friend of Dorothy?
Gay men, in particular, saw Garland as someone who had survived deep pain but kept performing, kept showing up. In the movie, Wizard of Oz, Garland played a young girl, Dorothy, who found herself whisked away to another more colourful world where she made friends with unusual characters - a tin woodman, a scarecrow and a lion.
In the 1940s, the phrase “Friend of Dorothy,” began to be used as a coded way for gay men to identify one another without suspicion, especially in the military. Asking, “Are you a friend of Dorothy?” was a quiet way to signal queerness without drawing attention. Some historians suggest the reference began earlier, claiming the Road to Oz book had many references which could be interpreted as gay or bi-sexual. For example, when Dorothy came to a fork in the yellow brick road and asked the scarecrow which way she should go, he replied “Of course, some people go both ways.” Others think it might have actually come from somewhere else entirely - but the myth of Dorothy of Oz remains a solid mainstay today.
Garland herself lived in a time when being publicly associated with gay people could harm a career. There is no known quote or interview where she directly calls out her status as a gay icon or comments in depth on gay rights. However, by the 1960s, Judy Garland had become a fixture in queer spaces, both for her talent and for what she represented. Garland often performed in nightclubs, theatres, and cabarets with large queer audiences, particularly in cities like New York and San Francisco. Friends and biographers later confirmed that Garland knew she had a strong gay following, especially in the 1950s and 60s and her daughter, Liza Minnelli, has said that Garland appreciated the support and connection with her gay fans.
Judy’s Death and the Mood in New York
Judy Garland died in London on June 22, 1969, at the age of 47. The official cause was an accidental overdose of barbiturates. By then she had survived decades of harsh treatment in the entertainment world and was working small clubs to stay afloat. Her health was failing, and her finances were unstable.
Garland’s funeral was held in New York City on Friday, June 27. Thousands of fans came to pay their respects, including many of those from the queer community who had long felt a connection to her music and her struggle. For days her photo appeared on front pages across the country. The mood in the city was heavy, and for many, the grief was deeply personal.
The Stonewall Bar & Dance Club
On the night of her funeral, people began gathering at the Stonewall club on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village New York. The bar was Mafia-owned and operated without a liquor license, but it was one of the few places where queer people, especially drag queens and transgender people, could go to dance, connect, and exist without being immediately turned away. The space was small, the conditions rough, and the drinks overpriced, but for many, it felt like the only place where they could be themselves, even if only for a few hours.
But like other gay bars in New York at the time, Stonewall was regularly raided by police. The threat of arrest, violence, or public humiliation was constant
“We as a people survived by gathering at diverse and mixed places like The STONEWALL Bar & Dance Club which, to many of the teenagers then, was the first place where we truly felt free.” - Stonewall Veterans
June 28, 1969
Late that night around 1:20 am, while friends of Judy Garland mourned her death, the police raided Stonewall. The raid followed the usual pattern: turn on the lights, check IDs, line people up, and start making arrests. But this time, the crowd didn’t scatter. People resisted. Some refused to show ID. Others pushed back as the police grew more aggressive.
A crowd gathered outside and refused to leave. Tension built as the police tried to control the scene. Then the mood shifted. Bottles were thrown. A trash can was lit on fire. The police became outnumbered and locked themselves inside the bar. More people showed up, shouting, chanting, and demanding answers. The confrontation spilled into the early hours of the morning and actually carried on for several more nights. It was loud, messy, and spontaneous, but it was also a clear refusal to accept silence and abuse.
“Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (‘G.L.B.T.’) people and their non-Gay supporters and straight friends decided to stand-up and fight back!” ~ Stonewall Veterans website
You can read accounts of this night and view old photos and newspaper clippings, on the Stonewall Veterans Association website.
After That Night
The Stonewall Rebellion didn’t happen because Judy Garland died, but the timing mattered. Her funeral had drawn people into the streets. The grief, the anger, and the exhaustion were already there. Her death didn’t cause the riot, but it may have been one of the sparks.
What happened at Stonewall that night wasn’t organized, and it wasn’t expected. But it became a turning point. The rebellion marked a shift from quiet survival to public resistance. It helped push the queer rights movement into the open, and it reminded people that even when everything feels impossible, there is still power in showing up together and refusing to go quietly.
Today, June is celebrated as Pride Month across North Ameriica, in direct homage to the Stonewall Rebellion.
And the phrase Friends of Dorothy? You can find it everywhere - as the name of queer spaces, queer organizations, and queer performers around the world. Just for fun, here are a few instances:
Friends of Dorothy in Langley
Langley’s Friends of Dorothy program provides a space for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth ages 12-24 to safely explore identity, connect with and be supported by peers, relax in a comfortable environment, and get creative! Drop-in every Thursday from 4-6pm at Foundry Langley.
Friends of Dorothy in Victoria and Kelowna - Choose your rainbow!
Put on your ruby slippers and take a trip down the yellow brick at Friends of Dorothy Lounge, a premier LBT2Q+ lounge and bar.
Friends of Dorothy Podcast
Irish drag queens Candy and Kiki take their love of pop culture legends, queer heroes and inspiring icons to glittering camp new heights as they speak to their dream list of guests and emerging LGBTQIA talent.
Songs of The Original Stonewall Club Jukebox (1969)
The website Stonewall Vets features a list of songs that were on the Stonewall Club Jukebox in 1969. We’ve made a playlist of the top 40 on Spotify, you can find it here.
Jude Goodwin is a friend of Dorothy living in Vancouver BC. She’s the publisher of What’s On Queer and can be reached at any time through email whatsonqueerbc@gmail.com
