The name of this cafe, Dorothy's Sister, in Ponsonby, Auckland's former gay quarter, is a play on the slang term.

In gay slang, a Friend of Dorothy is a term for a gay man. The term dates back to World War II, when homosexual acts were still illegal in many states. Saying at a social gathering that another man was a "friend of Dorothy" was a euphemism used for discussing sexual orientation without others knowing its meaning. The term derives from the writings of Dorothy Parker, who had many homosexual fans, and was well known for her quick wit and use of sarcasm as well as social activism. During World War II many U.S. and British servicemen started meeting and forming friendships while serving in Europe. Living in fear of discovery and persecution, many began using the code language that Dorothy Parker used commonly in her writings as a form of social networking. In conversation and in letter writing, phrases like "simply divine", "fabulous" and "nelly" began to be used by men, who later brought it's use back to the states. Some have survived to this day, including the term "Friend of Dorothy" which is still used by gay men to refer to and identify each other. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixels, file size: 508 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixels, file size: 508 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Ponsonby is an inner suburban area of the city of Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. ... For other uses, see Auckland (disambiguation). ... Gay slang or LGBT slang in linguistics refers to a form of English slang used predominantly among LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people. ... GAY can mean: Gay, a term referring to homosexual men or women The IATA code for Gaya Airport Category: ... Euphemism is the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener; or in the case of doublespeak, to make it less troublesome for the speaker. ... Sexual orientation refers to the direction of an individuals sexuality, usually conceived of as classifiable according to the sex or gender of the persons whom the individual finds sexually attractive. ... Dorothy Parker (August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American writer and poet, best known for her caustic wit, wisecracks, and sharp eye for 20th century urban foibles. ...

A common misconception is that the term stems from the character of "Dorothy" in the film The Wizard of Oz. The misconception likely developed among younger gay people who have not had access to this information. Also Judy Garland is known as a beloved gay icon, often imitated in drag performance during the 60's and 70's. Also in the film "Wizard", Dorothy is accepting of those who are different, e.g. a gentle lion living a lie, "I'm afraid there's no denyin', I'm just a dandy lion." This article is about motion pictures. ... The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. ... Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922 - June 22, 1969) was an Academy Award-nominated American film actress and singer, best known for her role as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939). ...

Starting in the late 1980s, on several cruise lines, gay passengers began approaching ship staff, asking them to publicise gatherings in the daily cruise activity list. As the cruise lines were hesitant to announce such things so blatantly in their daily publications, they would list the gathering as a "Meeting of the Friends of Dorothy". Such meetings have expanded in popularity and frequency over the years. Now, many cruise lines will have multiple "FOD" events, sometimes as many as one each night. A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships. ...

The term is used in the 1995 comedy film Clueless by Donald Faison's character Murray when alluding to his suspicion that Justin Walker's character Christian is gay. The year 1995 in film involved some significant events. ... Comedy film is genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humor. ... Clueless is a 1995 comedy film that is loosely based on Emma by Jane Austen, set in a Beverly Hills high school. ... Donald Adeosun Faison (born June 22, 1974 in New York City, New York) of Nigerian descent is a television and movie actor, known for his role as Dr. Christopher Turk in the NBC television series Scrubs. ... For the Brothers & Sisters character, see Justin Walker Justin Walker is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Christian Stovitz in the 1995 comedy film Clueless. ...

It is also used in the TV series Arrested Development. The Tobias Funke character, a closet homosexual, is nicknamed Dorothy while in prison after causing the suicide of White Power Bill. Another inmate notes that he is like Dorothy and says, "The Wicked Witch is dead! All hail Dorothy!" When we see this inmate later he identifies himself as a friend of Dorothy, as if to say he is part of Tobias' prison gang, a double entendre. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

See also

• Coming Out Under Fire, by Allan Berube, The Free Press (MacMillan Inc)
• Gay slang
• Polari

Gay slang or LGBT slang in linguistics refers to a form of English slang used predominantly among LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people. ... Polari (or alternatively Palare, from Italian parlare, to talk) was a form of cant slang used in the gay subculture in Britain. ...

Links

• Friends of Bill
• Cruise Critic on "Friends of Dorothy"