As Gay Christmas nears… sorry, we mean Halloween, witches take center stage—pointed hats, broomsticks, and all. And we don’t just mean the movie Wicked, coming next month. And these images have deep roots in gay imagery. In the 1500s, broomsticks marked alehouses run by women—later linked to “witches on broomsticks” by misogynistic texts like Malleus Maleficarum. Cauldrons, once used for healing herbs, became symbols of dark magic as women healers were discredited.
The tall black hat likely came from Welsh women’s dress, while loose, scraggly hair marked rebellion against “good” Christian norms. And black cats? They were said to be demons in disguise, “fed with blood from their owner’s breasts.” Once vilified, these images now celebrate feminine power and queer resilience. The world’s most famous Witches pointed hat will be front and center as Elphaba comes to the big screen in Wicked: For Good premieres November 21.
