Friends of Dorothy

[Carlalena1]

On my last cruise there was a listing for "Friends of Dorothy" in the Capers. We all know what Friends of Bill W. is about, but why does Dorothy have so many friends??? We guessed that it is a gay group. Were we right?

[Larry in Miami]

A quick google search... in a word yes.

[joeyanddavid]

However at FOD meetings ALL are welcome, unlike Friends of Bill or Lois,where you should be in AA you dont have to be gay to come to a gathering.

[Carlalena1]

Yay! I am checking out the FOD next time. I had a feeling there was a Tea Dance somewhere while I was being shuttled off to BINGO.

[NEWBIE ROSE]

Do I dare ask what a Tea Dance is?

[joeyanddavid]

Well when I was growing up a tea dance was nothing more than an afternoon party(usally Sunday afternnon),and usally at the neighood bar beer bust dancing and food, just an old fashioned good time, What they are today I really couldnt tell you, I havent been to a tea in YEARS!

[Carlalena1]

I grew up summering on Fire Island, a Dorothy-friendly place if there ever was one. I went to Tea Dance when I was a kid, just because it was there, and then as teenager for the real fun of it. Basically on Fire Island Tea Dance consists of good looking male model-types and leather-types (I am being PG-rated here) dancing and drinking Blue Whales and things like that. The clubs and bars are open and happening all afternoon. The older or more low-key guys have house parties or go to the quieter bars. Things get wilder and wilder until sundown, when the beach empties and 99% of the population heads out to the same clubs that have been open since Tea Dance (usually starts around 2pm). My family is from "straight Fire Island," but my friends and I, who all worked in restaurants from the age of 15, would go to Tea Dance a few times each summer. The same waiters and cooks and bartenders that would come visit our neck of the woods on Monday nights would hook us up with drinks, etc during Tea Dance. It was AWESOME. Great energy, totally fun, clubs and sidewalks and back decks and piers packed with people enjoying themselves while ferries pulled in and out with more men every half hour.

Back in the old days my grandparents would take a water taxi down to Cherry Grove (big Dorothy mecca) for Tea Dance with their friends. They still went down there once a summer or so until they died. I would be stumbling out of some bar, blinking my eyes in the sun (Tea Dance hazard), and grab my friend's arm: "OMG, is that my Grandmother? HIDE ME." For some strange reason a good percentage of my family is gay and that increased my Tea Dance attendance as well.

The more that I think of it the more I realize how much like a cruise ship it is.

[joeyanddavid]

Carlalena1, what a lovely story! Thanks for sharing

[Carlalena1]

Thanks for letting me share! (figured that since this was a "Friends of" conversation)...

I just googled FOD. I am lmao because we went on our cruise right after the ruby slippers were stolen. My mother was asking "who would steal the ruby slippers?" My answer: a gay man of course. So then when we saw the FOD announcement I made the connection (or so I thought). I asked the at the info desk what it meant and the woman there said she didn't know, that there must be some "large group" with a relative named Dorothy on board.

I just read a piece on cruisecritic that says that CCL is the most gay-friendly of the big lines. Who knew? Well, CCL knows where the treasure is buried, for sure.

[oppis]

Carla,

I was astonished to hear from a friend, that even RCCL has cruises only for gay or lesbian people.
There was one this summer, starting in Barcelona.

But on every cruiseship you´ll meet nice gay couples and for us it´s normal. But some passengers are still looking strange.

BTW Joey, I love your citations.

Marita