PRINTStar status
Entertainers unite a community
Photo courtesy of Judy Garland Database
Judy Garland’s popularity within the gay community was recently reignited by Rufus Wainwright’s recreation of the singer’s famed 1961 Carnegie Hall performance.
April 24, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
What do Cher, Madonna and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz all have in common? If you guessed some pretty sweet red-sequined shoes, you could be right. But if you guessed iconic status in the gay community, you’re one better. What is it that makes these straight singers so attractive?
Aieta Buffet, show director of SoCo Club’s “Divas by Design” drag show, says the will to live your own life and not be ashamed of it is what makes a performer iconic. “These performers say and do whatever they want,” Buffet says. “They push the envelope. We all wish we could be more like that.”
When Judy Garland played Dorothy in 1939, a time when prejudice against homosexuality was more severe and coming out was unheard of, she struck a chord with the gay community.
“The whole over-the-rainbow thing was something for gay men at that time to dream about,” says Buffet. “As early gay culture grew, those aspects were passed down. That’s why these entertainers remain popular.”
Straight artists, however, aren’t the only ones achieving this iconic status. Gay artists including Ari Gold, Tegan and Sara and Indigo Girls have also gained fame in the LGBT community. Indigo Girls’ commitment to activism has given the duo notoriety; likewise Ari Gold has not hesitated to write lyrics about life as an openly gay man.
For a group that is highly marginalized in society, identification with such strong public figures might help the LGBT community feel less stigmatized, says Jennifer Schlosser, a graduate instructor for the MU Department of Sociology. She says that most people seek to identify with a group because it provides a sense of social solidarity, which contributes to a more stable and fulfilling personal identity.
“Iconic entertainers often promote diversity,” Schlosser says. “(This allows) for a much wider fan base and more feelings of inclusiveness in a society that tends to ignore or punish people whose gender identity or sexual orientation varies from that of the mainstream.”
