Film

Wicked fans think this detail from a 100-year-old book proves Glinda is queer

Nov 27
Written by Sophie Perry

Arianna Grande as Glinda with a copy of Glinda of Oz

Glinda might be queer, if this detail is to be considered (Universal Studios/Canva)

Wicked fans, thrilled by seeing Elphaba and Glinda on the big screen in all their sub-textually sapphic glory, are now convinced a detail from one of the original Wizard of Oz books proves the latter witch is queer.

Jon M Chu’s version of the stage musical – which itself was based on Gregory Maguire’s revisionist Wizard of Oz novel – stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, who becomes known as the Wicked Witch of the West, and Ariana Grande as Galinda, later Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. Despite some right-wingers predicting it will “go broke” because it’s gone “woke”, the screen adaptation has already broken box-office records.

The tale has long resonated with LGBTQ+ people, drawn to the story’s themes of otherness, standing up to oppression and the power of friendship, with Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship inspiring countless pieces of fan-fic and fan art.

Fans of the ship – Gelphie, as they are known – have long pointed out that Maguire’s bewitching novels about the land of Oz can be read as having sapphic undertones, with many quotes from the books suggesting the two witches were far more than just good chums.

A still from Wicked showing Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. — *Wicked* is set long before Dorothy dropped in on the witches of Oz. (Universal Studios)

One fan of the movie musical took to social media to point out a small section of one of the original Oz novels, by L Frank Baum, could be used as evidence to prove Glinda is a lesbian.

The user shared a screenshot of a sentence from the Wikipedia page for Glinda, which reads: “In Baum’s final book, Glinda of Oz, we learn that [she] resides in a castle with 100 of the most beautiful women in Oz at her beck and call.”

Glinda of Oz, the 14th and final book in the series, was published a year after Baum’s death in 1919.

A Project Gutenberg edition says: “Glinda, the good sorceress of Oz, sat in the grand court of her palace, surrounded by her maids of honour, a hundred of the most beautiful girls of the fairyland of Oz.

“The palace court was built of rare marbles, exquisitely polished. Fountains tinkled musically here and there, the vast colonnade, open to the south, allowed the maidens, as they raised their heads from their embroideries, to gaze upon a vista of rose-hued fields and groves of trees bearing fruits or laden with sweet-scented flowers.

“At times, one of the girls would start a song, the others joining in the chorus, or one would rise and dance, gracefully swaying to the music of a harp played by a companion. Glinda smiled, glad to see her maids mixing play with work.”

Other fans were more than happy to see more evidence that Glinda is not straight, something Wicked star Grande has suggested herself.