The US Navy and Their Hilariously Inept Search for Dorothy and Her Friends

If you happen to like our videos and have a few bucks to spare to support our efforts, check out our Patreon page where we've got a variety of perks for our Patrons, including Simon's voice on your GPS and the ever requested Simon Whistler whistling package: / todayifoundout
→BOOK RECOMMENDATION: amzn.to/2x6OBUE
→Some of our favorites: • Featured
→Subscribe for new videos every day!
kzbin.info...
Never run out of things to say at the water cooler with TodayIFoundOut! Brand new videos 7 days a week!
More from TodayIFoundOut
The Gruesome Tale of Lady Bluebeard
• The Gruesome Tale of L...
Miss Unsinkable
• Miss Unsinkable
In this video:
While the Ancient Greeks had their celebrated Sacred Band of Thebes, a legendarily successful fighting force made up of all male lovers, in more modern times the various branches of the United States military have not been so accepting of such individuals, which brings us to the topic of today- that time in the 1980s when the Naval Intelligence Service invested significant resources into trying to locate a mysterious woman identified only as “Dorothy” who seemed to have links to countless gay seamen. The plan was to find her and then “convince” her to finger these individuals so the military could give them the boot.
Want the text version?: www.todayifoundout.com/index.p...
Sources:
www.amazon.com/Conduct-Unbeco...
www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-fri...
articles.latimes.com/1993-03-2...
www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/890...
www.cruisecritic.co.uk/article...
www.cruisedork.com/ask-the-cru...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_Ga...
books.google.com/books?id=ous...
articles.latimes.com/1991-02-0...
closetprofessor.com/2011/11/2...
closetprofessor.blogspot.com/2...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friend_...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes...
Image Credit:
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
www.bigstockphoto.com/ru/imag...
www.bigstockphoto.com/ru/imag...
www.bigstockphoto.com/ru/imag...
www.bigstockphoto.com/ru/imag...
www.bigstockphoto.com/ru/imag...
www.bigstockphoto.com/ru/imag...
www.bigstockphoto.com/ru/imag...
www.bigstockphoto.com/ru/imag...
www.bigstockphoto.com/ru/imag...
Music from Jukedeck - create your own at jukedeck.com.

[@TodayIFoundOut]

Ready to learn more fun facts about military history? Then check out this video and find out about The Canadian Man Who Single-Handedly Liberated the City of Zwolle in the Netherlands from German Occupation: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4XcY56geptkbc0

[@saskoilersfan]

Today I Found Out goes with Kennedy Oz enigma and the death of Dorothy... USA media's rule USA in lies and illusions.. The 1963 Cia and FBI hilariously inept search for Oz and Dorothy turns up dead... Kennedy assassination was fake... Disney homage to CS Lewis and Aldous Huxley..

[@lordgarion514]

Love your channel. But, starting off with a bad premise(that Dorothy was someone in the area that facilitated gays meeting) and failing to find her or figure out it was from a movie in no way means the search was "inept", just that they failed. I mean, they could have secretly tortured a gay person who used that phrase and easily figured it out. Which means they didn't do everything they could have to get the information they wanted. Great information, except for the part where ineptitude wasn't really demonstrated, but failure was.

[@saskoilersfan]

@@lordgarion514 the Kennedy Os enigma was the search for Oz and Dorothy dies... USA is a society of lies... Media's rule USA Media's rule president...

[@artsy2502]

Oml my hometown

[@garynaccarto8636]

I was thinking that term Dorothy was intended to create confusion and obviously the guy who was the guy who said there was more gay people in the navy was saying that in order to stir up chaos.

[@ArcaneEther]

"...The Tinman constantly needs lubing up..." Yup, he's a friend of Dorothy.

[@sarahgray430]

I need to be lubricated often too, and I'm a middle-aged heterosexual woman!

[@MacetazzOpina]

@@sarahgray430 do not worry, I sacrifice myself to endure such task

[@sarahgray430]

@@MacetazzOpina hey...it's a fairly common problem at my age...either your body produces too little natural lubrication or too much.

[@mike62mcmanus]

@@sarahgray430 That's a lot of information to share with strangers..

[@wouterkuit3508]

@@mike62mcmanus Not too much information, facts of live that many more people should be aware of!

[@cdw2468]

How can he say “Gay seamen” with a straight face?

[@liquidminds]

The seamen have your back!

[@howtubeable]

Well, the entire video was intended as a mockery of the social right. The video had no serious content.

[@maxheadroom3839]

Lol Straight face.

[@OatmealTheCrazy]

Finger the gay seamen.

[@russg1801]

...better than saying it with a hot buttered face!

[@CassyBug]

The first time I ever heard the phrase "Friend of Dorothy" was from my very gay brother, when I asked what that meant, he sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" God I miss him.

[@BadWebDiver]

Lovely story! Thank's for sharing!

[@Deathlike.Silence]

@@spewsideways169that means your gay

[@user-gc3qy6vv6h]

What happened to your brother?

[@nexus01gr]

"Experience has shown that the stereotypical female homosexual in the Navy is hard-working, career-oriented, willing to put in long hours on the job, and among the command's top professionals..." ...well, if you ask me, HQ shouldve gone and asked for a fleet's worth of these 'stereotypical' individuals.

[@xpd9961]

That's what I was thinking lol, BRING ON THE LESBIANS! Seriously though who doesn't like lesbians?

[@nexus01gr]

My guess would be, those who feel obligated to not like them because they too are 'homosexuals' - just like gay men who are the "real" problem - and therefore easily manipulated, extorted or blackmailed. Instead of removing the real problem, which is by the way "discrimination on the basis of a single personal trait", they go and add a second, perhaps thicker, layer of discrimination. Military intelligence indeed.

[@SkinnerNoah]

*Navy commercial* Lesbians in the Navy! They're 8 feet tall and throw boulders at enemy ships! They'll feed any survivors to the Rancor! *Lesbians sank the Yamato!* 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@skyhawk_4526]

"So in other words, sir, you're saying the lesbians are the female sailors who make you look bad?"

[@BrianH1313]

She did travel somewhere over the rainbow. ....

[@evilcatgaming9056]

As a modern lesbian who is therefore not familiar with 1940's slang from gay men, I knew immediately that Dorothy wasn't a woman with an extremely busy social circle. I can't imagine how much of a riot it would've been for those gay men to watch straight men walk into gay bars asking for Dorothy while pretending that they were gay. Unless, they were actually gay and were having a laugh and a drink on Navy dime.

[@OlafoWaffle]

A bit from Column A and a bit from Column B. Regardless of which way they each investigator swung being sailors, they got absolutely wrecked on the gov't dime.

[@spellwing777]

Having been in the military and knowing our sense of humor, that last option is ENTIRELY possible.

[@DanaTheInsane]

Friend of Dorothy was even used in the 80's

[@blackbird8632]

Are you hard working, have a strong work ethic and are among the top staff?

[@immortalsofar5314]

During occupy Seattle, there were a bunch of not-quite-right protesters asking who was in charge. They were really obvious so I sent them on a wild goose chase and the idea spread like wildfire. "Oh, you mean the colonel! He was over by the first aid tent." and "Oh, you just missed him, you might want to try over there."

[@JLConawayII]

Their search inevitably led them to Kansas, where they hit a dead end as they couldn't send any ships there to investigate.

[@fireflocs]

I wonder how one would clandestinely say they were bisexual. "I'm an acquaintance of Dorothy." "I'm a friend of Dorothy - but only sometimes." "Me and Dorothy have a love-hate relationship."

[@babblgamgummi6029]

Dorathy isn't my only friend.

[@FreshWholeMilk]

Male bisexuality don’t reals

[@babblgamgummi6029]

FreshWholeMilk I don't even know what you're trying to say

[@babblgamgummi6029]

FreshWholeMilk I don't even know what you're trying to say

[@fireflocs]

Best reply so far.

[@MedEighty]

These days, Dorothy is called Grindr.

[@nikolademitri731]

MedEighty 😂

[@andrews3545]

or Scruff

[@jaysmith1408]

Why do I picture sandwiches?

[@AngryKittens]

Growlr.

[@nikolademitri731]

Angry Kittens Scruff is where it's at, if you're willing to pay for the premium app 💪🏼✌🏼

[@rebekahbridges-tervydis5054]

Oh, Simon, Simon...I'm not sure what is more fun. The Navy searching for 'friends of Dorothy'. Or your double entendres whilst telling this ridiculous story. Lol, love it!

[@debbscustomengravings5226]

Sounds like, according to their own description, they should want MORE lesbians in the Navy.

[@reachandler3655]

What? And show up the men? Don't be daft, that would upset their fragile egos...

[@zappababe8577]

I know! They're career-focused, hard-working and rise quickly up the ranks and the navy wanted to get rid of them? Hello - did they even listen to the words they were saying? They should have been trying to recruit more of them!

[@clickbateman9224]

I love the logic in revoking his security clearance because it makes him a liability for blackmail but he is totally transparent about making him immune to blackmail.

[@KTF72Productions]

"Experience has shown that the stereotypical female homosexual in the Navy is hard-working, career oriented, willing to put in long hours in the job, and among the command's top professionals..." Well goddamn. So they put their life on the line to join the military and serve their nation, performed so exceptional that it was considered an identifying trait, and in the end still got shit on by their own country solely on a basis of who they loved... You'd think perhaps after the British government castrated the hero who managed to end WWII four years early by cracking Nazi codes and was the father of modern computing for being gay, that they might be slightly more appreciative of their gay heros but history repeats itself...

[@walende07]

By that standard, basically any female with a good, strong work ethic is a lesbian?!? Logic at its best😮

[@kalahne]

walende07 the idea here is more along the lines that all thumbs are fingers, but not all fingers are thumbs. It was supposedly an identifying trait of lesbians, but not exclusive to them. For instance, a tail is an identifying trait of dogs, but not every dog still has a tail, and not everything that has a tail is a dog.

[@neeneko]

Sadly, it is self consistent logic for the time. men who liked men were considered feminine, women who liked women were considered masculine, and people believed that men were inherently better at such jobs. So if a woman was doing well, it was not a big leap for them to consider her masculine since she was doing the job 'as well as a man'.

[@DrunkenHotei]

Awareness is the key to prevention. Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it, after all.

[@voidface8827]

Yeah I had to study Alan Turing for my exam last year. I feel so bad for him and the way he was treated.

[@johnielus8682]

seamen.

[@SuviTuuliAllan]

discharged

[@StudioUAC]

80 sailers go out to see. 40 couples come back

[@somethingsomething404]

Gay seamen, fingered individuals

[@ZomBeeNature]

...on the poopdeck. 😂

[@CB-db1qx]

So much innuendo

[@6darkness6eternal6]

Sorry... Finger these individuals?...

[@balrogdahomie]

TakeToTheShadows it’s a turn of phrase meaning to out/reveal information about someone. I’m fairly certain they intentionally used the word for the double-meaning pun though.

[@azraelcorvo9087]

Please do.

[@highlandoutsider8148]

yeah wasnt sure how to, em,take that lol

[@ZomBeeNature]

On the poopdeck! 😂

[@ZomBeeNature]

On the poopdeck! 😂

[@SkorpTS]

If this isn't about The Wizard of Oz, I'll be disappointed. Edit: And here I thought I was joking.

[@ghostmarine1036]

Wait it is lmao

[@bigdickpornsuperstar]

Maybe you're gay and didn't know it.

[@The_Other_Ghost]

Not about a fish...

[@TheAnantaSesa]

4:28

[@rowannnnnnnnn]

Definitely caught me off guard too

[@RedstoneMaster78]

I thought Bill W. was just a person that was coincidentally oh my cruise 2 years in a row

[@carultch]

He's Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. "Friends of Bill W Meet" is a way for them to identify an AA meeting on the cruise, so the members can attend the meeting without having to directly say they are going to an AA meeting.

[@Dee-jp7ek]

And here I was, worried our taxpayer money was going to waste.

[@tpgslmth4252]

Well I mean back then a lot of people probably wouldn't have considered that a waste....

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

You could conceivably consider that (in simple math terms) every dollar spent on this level of investigation in order to preserve and provide higher morale and greater camaraderie among the personnel is also a dollar NOT being spent on the needless death, dehumanization, and general hell rained down on innocents in every single conflict... so... you sorta got that. Right? ;o)

[@alexwang982]

*taxpaper

[@CaptWesStarwind]

I can hardly believe a country would waste tax dollars on this. What a total disgrace.

[@garetclaborn]

well thankfully spending is a lot better now since that guy who doubled our national debt in less than a decade is gone

[@SteelSkin667]

Wow. 1981 is an awfully short time ago for such a witch hunt .

[@garetclaborn]

not really, that's still going on in the nicer parts of the world today. the worse parts just kill them

[@jendubay3782]

We only got the right to marry three years ago

[@garetclaborn]

well you really cant be even still, it's not possible

[@greenaum]

It's only the late-mid 1980s where gay people started winning the battle for some respect. Discrimination was everywhere before then. If you weren't around, it'd seem shocking to someone now.

[@calamityjean1525]

@@greenaum Discrimination is still all around. In too many states gays can still be fired from their civilian jobs for being gay.

[@RadioJonophone]

Not only was my favourite English Language teacher at school in the 1960s called Dorothy, but also I was a confirmed friend of Dorothy (in the secret subculture sense) and was well aware of that coded message. It's a good job that Mrs. Nicholson (Dorothy) taught us about oxymorons, as I would have never understood Military Intelligence.

[@EjNappe]

I'm stationed in Great Lakes now. This is something that is Definitely Not talked about at our monthly heritage briefs.

[@OlafoWaffle]

I can imagine that AFN commercial... Operation Dorthy, Putting the Great in Great Mistakes!

[@Mars_junior]

Thank you for your service mate

[@beaconrider]

They have to brief you every month on what your heritage is? Would have thought you would have remembered.

[@DWNicolo]

John Hartin All gone now, they're building Museum of the sailor in its place.

[@dafttool]

I’ve actually used this phrase once while in a group of straight people, clandestinely speaking to the one other gay guy in the group. It worked well; no one but him even caught on to what was being communicated. And since I can pass for straight without trying, I’ve had gay guys ask me it on occasion over the years because they were unsure of their gaydar’s mixed messages. -I should note that the phrase is used more in front of straights, then when just around other LGBTQ. Away from straights, there’s no need to speak in clandestine code. If another gay wants to know if you are gay, they would just simply ask.

[@Cyberspine]

The number of environments where the code is necessary is diminishing, luckily.

[@AngloFrancoDane]

As a long time friend of Dorothy, I find it sad that younger friends no longer know her.

[@greggi47]

Younger friends are woefully ignorant of too much that is part of their histories.

[@Roonasaur]

But, they are woefully ignorant . . . because, for the most part, they don't have to hide who they are anymore. Shouldn't that make you happy?

[@greggi47]

ignorance is never something happy. If they don't know how things were, they might slip backwards.

[@MyChilliFeets]

As an adolescent friend of Dorothy, more know her than you may think. Not always as Dorothy though.

[@davidb5205]

Robert La Mont - Why lament the disuse of the term? If anything, it indicates that younger generations don't have to live in fear and use coded language; they can just openly state they are gay thanks to the progress made by older generations. Younger people can still appreciate the history, Judy Garland, and the Wizard of Oz story.

[@zacharyhuffman1863]

As a 2nd Class Petty Officer in the Navy, I'm so happy we are past this stupid moment in our history.

[@animistchannel2983]

Thank you for serving! May you get objectives worthy of your effort to achieve, and good people to work with along the way.

[@BadWebDiver]

Happy sailing guys Keep your heads down and your feet clean!

[@leonwilson1089]

thank you for your service

[@JohnSmith-tm5xx]

Intelligence taking detailed photos of female sports teams for "research"...

[@Bra-a-ains]

Rats! I wanted the volleyball team. Go Huskers!

[@huhu6648]

Officers drinking at bars for "intelligence"...

[@pirobot668beta]

'Friends of Dorothy', I nearly died! My grandma used that term back in the 1960's! Her use wasn't flattering, but the phrase has stuck with me. Show again where the Crusaders never have a clue...

[@gst013]

"They are generally really, really good at their jobs." "FIND THEM AND GET THEM OUT OF HERE!!"

[@Volvith]

"Who was this Dorothy?" It's gonna be a codeword for gay, right? And the US Navy is not gonna find that out right? "For half a century, 'a friend of dorothy' has been a euphemism for being gay..." Goddamnit USN, you had one fucking job... xD

[@annoloki]

Did you have to use the verb "finger"? *lol*

[@ryleighs9575]

If you wanna get even dirtier with it, they "fingered" the gay servicemen so they could "give them the boot"... that's some kinky shit.

[@krashd]

Tinman always needing lubed up and stuff.

[@robertmitchel2194]

haha verb, cleverl

[@nikanj]

I'm a friend of Dorothy. I'm a friend of Dorothy. Sheeee is my friend. Willies! Willies! I like willies!

[@damienscullytoo]

They find out soldiers are lesbians if they are dedicated, hard working and all round good soldiers. So they can kick them out? What? why aren't they rewarded damn.

[@ChristopherChapelle]

Because America is bad

[@thatnerdygaywerewolf9559]

Well it was mentioned that they were criticized for not cracking down on lesbians enough in comparison to gay men, so they had to.

[@FIREBRAND38]

Soldiers are in the Army. Sailors are in the Navy.

[@beaconrider]

Since when has the military done things that make sense?

[@Dr_Do-Little]

Well. It just show how biased these officers view was. So in opposition a "non-lesbian" female sailors is expected to be: non dedicated, lazy and less professional than their male counterparts.

[@Artemis-zl5cs]

"countless gay seamen" say that in your head a few times, simon

[@CaptWesStarwind]

Phrasing.

[@tacosmexicanstyle7846]

Boom.

[@davidreed9849]

If you think about it, all of us gay men were once little gay seamen. #themoreyouknow

[@mikes333]

Hmm, what happened when a gay man introduced himself as a Friend of Dorothy to a straight guy that actually knows and is a friend of someone named Dorothy. Hilarity most certainly must have ensued! ;-)

[@ryleighs9575]

Lol it's funny when you start to picture it; it's like a bit from some British comedy.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Yeah... that's one way to look at it. REALLY F***ing AWKWARD as hell is another... Consider that any military branch (and resulting base in question) drags personnel from thousands of miles in every direction, from pretty much every walk of life and a wide variety of cultures... And they all get to "meet" each other in much shorter terms (most of the time) than bootcamp... Bootcamp does instill a certain respect and a level of tolerance for people you don't understand so well, but that doesn't mean you simply and blindly accept just any stupid thing that spouts out of someone's mouth as "cultural whatever"... The long story short of it is that I was the straight guy, dating a girl named Dorothy (I knew her as Dory for short)... AND the screwy turn of talk around a pool table in one of the toughest bars in Cook County from the usual "small-ish talk military experiences BS" to "Yeah, I'm a friend of Dorothy" to... something suddenly and dubiously close to "So you wanna f*** a guy?" wasn't exactly something I (an unfortunate voluntary son of the Bible-belt in TN) was entirely equipped to deal with at the time... Sure, from a somewhat distant perspective and with 20/20 hindsight, it's pretty f***ing funny. But at the time, it stalled a generally civilized conversation over a friendly game with both of us suddenly wondering who was about to be killed... or worse, who's career was about to go straight down the drain. I decided restraint was the best option, and preferred to clarify that I was ACTUALLY DATING a girl named Dorothy... AND to point out that I didn't want or need a dog in the fight around who anyone else had sex with as long as it didn't involve me or my bed, particularly. It simply wasn't my business to know a damn thing... BUT that's more or less how I found out about "THE CODE"... lolz. AND congrat's if you made it this far... You're certainly allowed to laugh. In the end of it, we both did... we got the hell out of that particular bar, but we ended up laughing about the confusion. :o)

[@therealjammit]

I wish I saw your comment before I posted. Yes, I have a friend called Dorothy. Yes, she's a lesbian. Yes, I'm straight. Yes, I've met her friends who I didn't know were gay.

[@sheep1ewe]

69 likes, i don´t want to ruin that...

[@krashd]

That is 99% of British comedy, actually Ryleigh :D Tell X to expect Y and put them with Z. Then record it. "What the hell is a Waldorf anyway?"

[@shaunlindsay2888]

And the best line of the day award goes to " countless gay seamen"

[@MephLeo]

For more on the existence of gay people in the Navy, see the documentary called "In the Navy", by Village People.

[@greenaum]

I did, and it put my mind at ease.

[@skyhawk_4526]

Simon has a video on that too.

[@AnimalFacts]

Lol.... our government is so inept at times. It’s a wonder how we’ve managed to stay together for this long.

[@chsi5420]

Have you seen the rest of the world?

[@fastestdino2]

Yes because you could do a better job

[@celesbianmegastar]

BananaRepublican I’m pretty sure they would know that “Dorothy” wasn’t a real person!!

[@kyrovlogz8036]

Because if this country fell billionaires would lose fuck tons of cash.

[@plasterofparisify]

Name a better country. I'll wait Animal Facts..

[@mksabourinable]

I'm queer myself so when you were saying the thing about them looking for Dorothy I was just laughing because.... are you fucking serious that's hilarious

[@ryleighs9575]

3:14 What an intelligent and sound way to "fix" your military; get rid of the most hard-working individuals on suspicion they might be gay. *facepalm*

[@stanstantalent.5605]

Ryleigh S that's murica for you.

[@FreshWholeMilk]

Non-whites, too

[@ryleighs9575]

Piotr Rywczak I meant to respond when I first read this - that was a good answer :P

[@babablacksheep3950]

Hard working underlings means a threat to the higher ups' position. They need mindless drones who would do anything they want, including gunning down the American citizens without questions.

[@dolst]

My dad told me that the old exchange could also go something like: "You got a match?" "Not since Judy Garland died!" Surf Wisely.

[@the5thestate587]

So I guess Dorothy had a lot of experience with seamen?

[@carultch]

Now Dorothy needs to meet a character in Oz to sing "if I only had a prostate".

[@RoryStarr]

I laughed out loud when he mentioned they were "friends of Dorothy". I know what that means and why and this is frankly amazing.

[@ktcd1172]

I finished my time in the US Military in 1985, and at least in my career field homophobia fairly rampant during my time in service. Especially among males with 10 or more years of service. My view of the situation was not at all popular with the higher ranking NCO's with whom I worked. In my view the only valid reasons for excluding homosexuals from our field was because in many states it was still a felony or at least illegal at some level. Since we all required high level Security Clearances being a homosexual left a person open to coersion and blackmail and thus potentially they could be forced into revealing classified information of various types. Take away that issue and there was no reason to keep them out of the service in any capacity.

[@OlafoWaffle]

Totally, by allow gays to serve openly, you've systematically removed an asset foreign operatives can use to flip them. Also, if you're afraid that SSG. Snuffy can turn you gay, you are in denial about being gay.

[@spellwing777]

I like this thread, both of you have such valid and interesting points.

[@tacosmexicanstyle7846]

America was established along the common republican ideals of the age, especially as France made it possible for the 13 colonies to declare independence. And like in France, equality for all only applied if you were a cis white male lol I feel like it was absolutely meant to be like this. Even more awkward is that the (former) empire the 13 colonies rebelled against has overtaken America in many ways. I hope it turns out better for you in the future.

[@tacosmexicanstyle7846]

Property is the one thing I can think of that the US does well. There's always a spacious house with a backyard somewhere if you don't mind moving away from the city. Lack of a class system based on breeding and aristocracy is probably not a bad thing either lol However I think the empire treated the colonies badly by imposing high taxes and taking all their productivity back to Great Britain. If you didn't declare independence, I doubt the US would have become a "successful" state in the end. I don't think the United Kingdom would have cared enough to go to war with the Spanish Empire just to gain the western US territory, I think that was only possible with the US being independent. The French would never have sold Louisiana to the British empire and Spanish presence in north America probably would have resulted in a world war if the UK tried to take it by force. It's not too late to change though, just hope they vote in some better politicians in the future

[@jessicalee333]

@@tacosmexicanstyle7846 There definitely IS a class system, and it is mostly based on inherited wealth, it's just not official, like in the UK. Elected officials are almost ALL wealthy, and most are from wealthy families that have been wealthy for a long time (most of our presidents can trace their lineage back to the first few English families that started the original Plymouth rock colony). It's not as entrenched of a class system, and there has been a lot of potential for "class mobility" - poor people striking it rich, however rare that may be - but... class is still a major factor. The U.S. class system largely invented U.S. racism, purposely divided poor white people against poor black people, so that poor people wouldn't unite together against the rich who were exploiting all of them.

[@tohopes]

3:15 Hmmm... you guys at TIFO are pretty hard-working and seem willing to put in long hours making videos... I've got my eye on you guys now 🤔

[@highlandoutsider8148]

they all seam to have really short hair too....lol

[@ryleighs9575]

Highland Outsider It's a more efficient hairstyle.

[@Hoshimaru57]

“Look for hard working women who are good at their jobs and kick them out.” Good plan Admiral Sparky, cause what we really want in our Navy is a bunch of incompetent women who don’t want anything to do with their jobs. Sorry, but this whole story is funny for how stupid it is.

[@FreshWholeMilk]

“Incompetent women who want nothing to do with their jobs” So, women in general, then

[@greggi47]

The best way to exclude the possibility of being unfairly compared with women in the military--or any kind of job--is to keep them out altogether. Of course, barefoot in the kitchen is hard to maintain as a norm when so many people don't cook anymore.

[@coolmoon4382]

FreshWholeMilk ..Only Heterosexual Women. .. They just explained it ....

[@ARedMagicMarker]

Some people then didn't want competent women at the specific jobs they applied and got hired for. In a handful of jobs, they wanted pretty little things to run around, play their little office "games", fluff their self-importance, pour them coffee, type with two fingers at a typewriter, or mindlessly Xerox some pamsie-pamsy bullshit same page 100 times while bending over. Of course, you were to show TONS of giggly interest and undying puppy-like obedience to the men. You were not to speak out of turn for anything, show disapproval, frown, question anything or solve any problems. Women not doing this were treated with a cool disdain, called a man hater, called gay, or called "defunct". If she didn't take the hints of needing to smile all the darn time, meet her boss for a "talk" in the office, let herself be groped or wear something "sexier", that was the last straw. No matter how good she was at her job, sometimes she was told her "services" would no longer be needed and her pink slip was given. Sometimes she was set up, shunned, or told to leave or no reason. Even to this day, some people think career-orientated gay or straight women who are focused are "unnatural" and sometimes "scary". I think the gist of it all is, if women are "totally" useless, and "totally" proven not good at absolutely anything... then what "possible" use do they have in a work setting? *Raises eyebrows repeatedly* Of course, any woman who is undeniably good at her job, and is ambitious is so very obviously trying to be a man, or hates men. This is another trope with people with that mindset of course. Never mind the fact that the woman may work overtime to pay her bills, to help save money for retirement, or to work because her spouse died recently and there's no more money coming in. Never mind that she just might be working hard to help pay for her chronically sick mother's medications, or to put enough food on the table for her family. Never mind the fact the job may have been her dream since she was little, and she is dedicated to her work and passion. Some people are incapable of thinking that deeply into things, or even caring. These people are completely self-serving, uncaring about anyone or anything, and are just all around rotten. They will crush people's livelihood because they can't get their way (into someone's pants/skirt), or they hate the innocently different from them. (such as being gay) But so what if someone is gay or lesbian? We are all here to get the overall job and mission done. We are not here to waste money and resources so we can baby someone who is whining and huffy-puffy over who loves and sleeps with who. Gayness is not evil, wrong, contagious, and frankly no one else's goddamn business. What fools to waste all that money on "finding Dorothy" over petty fear for nothing. Well, you know what they say... a fool and their money are soon parted. Did they honestly think this one sole woman was buddy-buddy with every single gay man in the military at the same time? What a bunch of worms-for-brains.

[@MsSaudm]

Oh lets see a women is a go-getter, works hard, willing to put in long a hours to succeed in her career. Pronounced as a target gay female who should be remotely stalked, viewed and/or expelled in the military? Maybe this is just a strong intelligent woman who wants to succeed in a chosen career? What is wrong with this picture?

[@sebastianelytron8450]

"hilariously inept" will trigger a lot of people, it's just the world we live in

[@masterofravenclaw8017]

Navy submarine deployment, 24 men go down, 12 couples come up.

[@Phenrex]

MasterOfRavenclaw That’s pretty good lol.

[@breadinacan2460]

And to think I missed that entire joke in arrested development.

[@carultch]

Was it a joke about Tobias?

[@annettefournier9655]

So many double entendres 🤣🤣🤣

[@mitchdewitt3280]

I’m going to use “friend of Dorothy” now

[@tomstech4390]

Navy intelligence took pictures of girl sports teams in the hopes of finding lesbians...in the days before the internet, Yeah I bet they did, It's one thing to be a hard worker it's another to take your work home with you.

[@LaceNWhisky]

Hard at work, or *hard* at work?

[@trevorl8167]

That's hysterical they thought 'Dorothy' was an actual person.

[@CaptiveReefSystems]

" You find Dorothy, yet.?" " No captain, we believe that she has defected to Oz". " 😫 "..

[@hiddenmistninja111]

I'm officially reviving "friend of dorothy" in my LGBT+ group on campus because of this video

[@tiredoftrolls2629]

I am guessing that the rainbow theme came from the Dorothy/Wizard of Oz connection.

[@aaronblake7249]

Your LGBT+ friends won't have a clue what your talking about, However Your GLBT+ friends Might!

[@tristanbaravraham6349]

Well at least they were right about softball & the hard working parts. The military Intel community must have spent a mint figuring that out. They are currently checking up on a rumor that Kruschev may be ill.

[@stayingcleanandouttatroubl5778]

"May be ill" I loved that.

[@Perktube1]

Investigator: Have you seen Dorothy? Bar patron: Not today. I think she went shopping over the rainbow.

[@madscientistshusta]

Im sorry but the lesbian description made me laugh so hard i dropped and broke my phone! "Sarg these women are too good at their job! They must be...." *bump bump bummmmm* GAYS!

[@roberts1677]

A few years ago a letter to the Navy Times suggested "A global force for fraud, waste, and abuse" as a recruiting slogan. This is an example of that being accurate.

[@joshr408]

I don't get how this was a thing. My trans babysitter served in the navy, in around the 80's. She hadn't transitioned yet, but her crewmates nominated her for "Queen of the Sea," so they had some idea. A more accepting boat I guess.

[@OspreyKnight]

It all varried quite a bit. Consider that in the revolutionary war, George Washington hung 2 gay men in his army. In the 80's it was equivalent to a dishonorable discharge and went to a simple discharge in the 90s. But the reality is that most people don't care because they have so many other things to worry about. That isn't to say there isn't plenty of homophobia or transphobia, there is even today. The thing is, when you're stuck with the people you're with you can't ignore them and you have to interact with them. Ignorance breeds fear and knowledge breeds friendships and familiarity. "Don't know about other fags, but you're all right by me."

[@joshr408]

OspreyKnight yeah, and the "band of brothers" culture of the army probably helps.some too. You may be weird; but you're our weird kind of thing

[@OspreyKnight]

Pretty much. Really is more like a very strict family than a job. At least among people who aren't administrators :/

[@KatiMae]

Please excuse me while I go laugh FOREVER 😂😂😂

[@heidirichter]

"What do you think, Smithers?" Mr Burns "I think women and seamen don't mix." Smithers "We know what you think." Mr Burns.

[@jasonqdavis]

Oh my so many innuendos in the beginning of this video.

[@johnspera8369]

wow we waste alot of money on stupid, meaningless stuff here in the US! lol. good job, guys.

[@connormclernon26]

John Spera lots of politicians love to insert otherwise pointless additions to laws in order to look good in their home state. It’s called pork barreling and every time I hear about one of these instances I want to throw my hands in the air and scream

[@hundejahre]

Grew up in Chicago in the mid-late 80's, near the neighborhood known simply as "Boy's Town", saw plenty of sailors on weekend leave from Great Lakes hanging out there and going into bars. *shrug* Live and let live.

[@Aeturnalis]

Basically every US military member ever: "I need to check out some gay bars... to... um... look for gay guys. Not for me... um... for my friend... Dorothy" lol

[@enoughofyourkoicarp]

Well that was exactly as absurd as I thought it was going to be, hatred only leads to one's own undoing in one fashion or another.

[@williamthethespian]

Taking a cruise soon, we will note any announcements concerning Friends of Dorothy's. Fascinating stuff. Thank you. (subscribed)

[@rideswithscissors]

Okay, I'm going to guess it's Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz... Ha! That was easy! Remember the movie "Airplane"? "Auntie Em, it's a twister, it's a twister!"

[@finaoo1167]

Several vague references to the "massive" amounts of money spent investigating, but the description of the actual investigation sounds like it was a pretty short trip from "who's this Dorothy person?" to, "Oh, ok. That's no help."

[@WeissnichtsVomLeben]

Don't read the comments. Just don't

[@StefanTravis]

If we don't read youtube comments, how will we know what's fashionable among idiots?

[@stanstantalent.5605]

I made the mistake of reading them too. Hopefully they'll get pushed to the bottom as the views increase.

[@liquidminds]

but... but... but... they are the best thing about youtube...

[@DogsRNice]

Gimme Rice sadly you were wrong

[@nicbetancourt5123]

Omfg I've seen that! I was on a cruises at 9 and 11, I saw this on the schedule! Friends of Dorothy in the library. I remember thinking it was odd to see it twice two years apart. 2005 and 2007. When I went again in 2016 it was LGBTQ meet up. Now I get it.... Lol

[@2MeterLP]

I never heard that phrase but I figured it out the second time you said it. You would think military personell would be familiar with the concept of code.

[@nomikes4392]

How many investigators disappeared and never came back? And, the word "fruitless" was priceless

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Oh FCOL, you mean they didn't know? Jeez, I'm a straight, non-military woman, and *I* know who 'Dorothy' is. Did you know that being gay was no excuse for not signing up during the Vietnam war? Yet if an out gay man wished to remain in the military after the war, they couldn't. They just got a DD instead.

[@jendubay3782]

"You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant..."

[@claytonpaisley9721]

If that's true, it's fucked.

[@marvindebot3264]

@@claytonpaisley9721 It's true, sadly.

[@Mike504]

Thanks for the video Captain McAwesomebeard

[@ryleighs9575]

#CaptainMcAwesomebeard

[@tiffyw92]

Why is this not top comment? I'm ashamed of this comment section.

[@ensignmjs7058]

You should ask him about Droney McDroneface.

[@Museofmemory]

The hopeful part of me wants to think the reason no one could figure out "Dorothy" was Judy Garland was just because enough of the investigators simply didn't WANT to succeed, but had to look busy while failing.

[@sneakyzeke56]

I was a Marine from 1976-1979. There were Gay Marines in my company and the Commander denied requests for discharge. They were informed that finishing their enlistment contrast was their only way out.

[@sar19]

That choice of words had to be intentional

[@vanhetgoor]

I never knew that lesbians are willing to work long hours, career-orientated and top professionals. Nice to know.

[@yeet1208]

vanhetgoor would you hire me if i said i was a lesbian

[@vanhetgoor]

Well, you don't have to tell anything. Big lumpy shoes, a bit out of style. A pant suit, or an overall. I can spot a lesbian from a distance of 1,61 Km.

[@DanaTheInsane]

RightWing SoyBoy Fat lot you know about it.

[@sylentlight6771]

your use of the term "fruitless" in this episode is just wonderful, lol

[@Matt_Fields_29]

All that money they wasted to find Dorothy and all they needed the whole time was a VHS player.

[@thegooddoctor2009]

It's like big Navy hasn't heard of "it ain't gay if it's underway"

[@urgirlcassie23]

2:22 ...Fruitless... lol

[@candc7124]

Cassandra Gray lol

[@NolePTR]

Not a Friend of Dorothy, but I'm a fan of DOROTHY!

[@computerlove87]

Ahhaha "fruitless" LOL... I love the subtle jokes

[@robott6696]

Its the us military, of course it was inept

[@SpitefulAZ]

so that's why the US spends so much on military...

[@carultch]

So ridiculous. They spend all that effort on searching for a woman who isn't even real. A secret code based on the name of a fictional character.

[@curtismmichaels]

Shortly after I came out of the closet, in 1987. An older gay man told me the Friends of Dorothy idea either referred to Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz or to Dorothy Parker, he really wasn't sure. You make some excellent points and, as a US military veteran of the early 80's I appreciate your work here. I've always carried both Dorothys in my heart. Bonus fact: FOD not only means Friends of Dorothy, it also means Foreign Object Damage (or Debris) which is dangerous to jet engines. I cannot count how many times I joined in a FOD walk on the flight line, and now thanks to you I will think of it and giggle.

[@WCGwkf]

my first idea was that dorothy wasn't a real person. funny how they had people trying to go into bars asking about it lol

[@timothygeorge5806]

0:41 You're really giving me mixed messages when you say that the Navy were asking this Dorothy to "Finger them" :P

[@BothHands1]

gay seamen is my favorite thing you said in this video xD

[@timsvea5980]

I myself am an older "friend of Dorothy" and thank you for making this delightfully informative video!

[@paulvhayste2852]

"...it's SEA-MAN!"

[@michaelinarizona1403]

As funny as this vid is, and I was laughing at most of it, it was a horrible and fearful time to be in the US service (I was in early-mid seventies).

[@Fermifire]

How the Navy got rekt.

[@censusgary]

The phrase “Friend of Dorothy” was very widely known by the 1980s. I find it hard to believe nobody in the military worked it out.

[@Mich1.]

Los soldados gays que estaban en la búsqueda sabían que los iban a despedir si decían que era un eufemismo porque solo los gays conocen ese eufemismo y si había un soldado heterosexual entonces lo mismo admitir que sabes que significa era decir que sos un amigo de Dorothy

[@TheKylesides]

I guess it makes sense, I mean you do find dorothy somewhere... "Over the rainbow" 😁 I'll see myself out now.

[@BadassBeazly]

Thank you for this. As a gay, man I never understood the reason for saying" I'm a friend of Dorothy" I suspected it was "code" for being gay In my youth. Back in the day, I just simply let people know I am gay if I felt someone wanted to know. I do understand the need for discretion with certain people and I respect that absolutely. Friend of Dorthy...clever :) It brings me great pleasure knowing those uninspired homophobes and haters spent millions trying to root out and eliminate THE GAY!

[@frostyboyken]

A. Lively, my understanding of it (and was told by older gay men, when I was a young 20-something gay just moved to San Francisco, back in '89) is it referenced Judy Garland, herself. It was rumored her father was gay or bi-sexual. She loved him a lot and saw how he was tormented by society's way of treating people who were gay, etc. She befriended many gay men in Hollywood; hence, the 'A Friend of Dorothy' meme was created as a way to secretly identify with each other. It had nothing to do with 'The Wizard of Oz.' ETA: I think the idea there may have been connections/memes to/from 'The Wizard of Oz' was that many folks back then were also trying to read whatever they could out of hidden messages in the popular movie - much the same way people do today with other popular movies and stars.

[@glenngriffon8032]

3:15 Those are traits one would typically *want* in a serviceman/woman. I can just hear it now. "We need to get rid of these damn lesbians! They're hard-working, career-oriented, they put in long hours on the job and are excellent professionals! The navy is no place for their Ilk!" Because sure, who would ever want a naval officer with a sense of duty and professionalism? They work hard and serve their country with astounding devotion and maintain a strong fidelity to their careers? These perverts need to rounded up and drowned in ammonia!

[@Flowerbarrel]

“I’m a friend of Dorothy! I’m a friend of Dorothy! She...is my friend!” “Hold my hand.....no....that’s not my hand...” “Welcome...to the United...QUEENDOM!”