Friend Of Dorothy

"Friend of Dorothy" (sometimes abbreviated FOD) is a coded phrase gay men used to identify one another during eras when being openly gay was dangerous. Asking whether someone was a "friend of Dorothy" was a discreet way to ask if he was gay without saying so plainly. The phrase is widely traced to Dorothy Gale, the character Judy Garland played in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, a movie with deep resonance in queer culture and a heroine who welcomes a band of outsiders. Garland herself became a beloved gay icon, and gay men who flocked to her performances in the 1950s and 1960s referred to themselves this way. The phrase saw use among gay servicemen and remained in circulation for much of the 20th century.