What the L? by Kate Clinton

Author:Kate Clinton
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781612940267
Publisher: Bywater Books

THE HA HA SISTERHOOD

Last year, at a Pride celebration, I was introduced by the co-chair as a “Stonehenge lesbian.” I think he meant Stonewall— but in an odd way the label fit. Except in obituaries, female comics are never accorded the “loveable old curmudgeon” encomium of a George Burns or Bob Hope. Still, I wear my Stonehenge pendant with pride. It may be a quaint artifact on frayed rainbow hemp, but it represents several generations of lesbian comics, many still making a living at it, some even able to buy things.

There may or may not be a lesbian comedy boom, but there certainly is a lescom circuit. Gay Pride Month, formerly known as June, is like a rolling trade show for us. We fan out across the country to emcee Pride rallies, perform at local benefits, and headline our own shows. While hosting mammoth fundraising dinners, we vamp when the videos go down, the vegetarian entrees are lost, or the main speaker is stuck in traffic. We perform at summer women’s festivals and on Olivia cruises. Provincetown in the summer is the Branson of lesbian comedy— ask anyone who has been subjected to the daily beach leafleting.

These days, lescom nation has some very visible titular heads. Ellen— rehabilitated after her perfectly calibrated emceeing of the much-postponed post-9-11 Emmy Awards— is on the road doing sold-out shows. In many interviews she seeks to reassure audiences that her act is funny-funny, not funny-gay. She has said that, in prospective markets for her new talk show, TV station managers sit in her audience. “I don’t think it’s an audition so much as it is a reassurance that I’m not some big, scary, gay agenda woman.”

Rosie O’Donnell, whose coming out was an awesomely staged campaign, did a reportedly hysterical set at a New York City fundraiser about the pressure she felt. That was before she made her big announcement. But in the mandatory post-coming out interview with Larry King, Rosie, too, sought to reassure audiences that she was funny-funny, not funny-gay. I worry that somewhere, some late-blooming lesbian will postpone coming out because she doesn’t think she can do well on Larry King.

The reticence illustrates how limited the tolerance for actual lesbian humor— as opposed the laff-riot of porno “lesbians” with blond mullets, long fingernails, tongues flicking in the nipple area— remains, at least among mainstream producers. In fact, straight audience are less homo-ignorant than the impresarios. Humor that shows lesbian are just like everyone else— they eat meat, too! they are searched at security, too!— is acceptable. But, while straight sexual humor skews from family vanilla to swinger blue, it will be a long Will-&-Grace period before lesbians can crack a dirty joke on network TV. And what goes for sex goes double for politics.

In most queer comedy lineups, gay men are outnumbered by lesbians— not because of any rule about gender parity. The entertainment industry affords many more opportunities for funny gay men to make a living. Lesbians are likely to be

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