Kate Clinton

Kate Clinton
Comedian Kate Clinton hosts Out & Equal’s Outies
Clinton in 2010
Born (1947-11-09) November 9, 1947 (age 78)
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
EducationLe Moyne College (BA)
Colgate University (MA)
PartnerUrvashi Vaid (1988–2022)
Websitekateclinton.net

Kate Clinton (born November 9, 1947) is an American comedian specializing in political commentary from an LGBTQ point of view.

Early life and education

Clinton was born in Buffalo, New York. She was raised in a large Catholic family in the state of New York. She attended Le Moyne College, a small Jesuit liberal arts college in Syracuse, New York, and received her master's degree from Colgate University in the Village of Hamilton.[citation needed] Clinton went on to teach high school English for eight years before becoming a comedian.

Career

Clinton at Soldier Field during the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Gay Games

She began her stand-up career in 1981 using her lesbianism, her Catholic upbringing and current politics for her jokes. Clinton is a self-described "fumerist," or feminist humorist.

In addition to comedy appearances and one-woman shows such as Lady HAHA, Climate Change,[citation needed] Correct Me If I'm Right, All Fracked Up and Out Is In, she has written three books: Don't Get Me Started, What the L? and I Told You So. She performed at the inaugural We're Funny That Way! comedy festival in 1997, and appeared in the festival's documentary film in 1998.

Clinton has made eight CDs including Climate Change, and two DVDs.[citation needed]

She was a regular columnist for the national monthly magazine The Progressive and the national gay news magazine The Advocate. She also wrote blogs for HuffPost. She has made numerous appearances on television, and has served as grand marshal of pride parades. When the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan began, she was a part-time commentator on CNN.[citation needed]

Clinton performed on Cyndi Lauper's True Colors tour in 2008. Also in 2008, she went on her "Hilarity Clinton '08" one-person show tour.

Clinton is a regular MC at the Out & Equal Workplace Summit.

Personal life

Clinton lived in New York City and Provincetown with her partner Urvashi Vaid from 1988 until Vaid's death in 2022. Vaid was executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (1988–92) and subsequently worked as an activist and writer.

References

  1. ↑ Wacker, Kelly A. (2002). "Clinton, Kate (b. 1947)" (PDF). glbtq. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
  2. 1 2 "LGBT History Month profile: Comedian, political humorist Kate Clinton". LGBTQ Nation. October 11, 2012. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
  3. 1 2 Donnelly, Liza (January 22, 2014). "Funny Women: An Interview With Kate Clinton". Forbes.
  4. ↑ Hartinger, Jeffrey (August 15, 2011). "The Other Clinton". Advocate. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  5. ↑ Abrams, Sabrina Fuchs (2024-10-21). "Introduction: Feminist Humor and the Future of Fumerism". Studies in American Humor. 10 (2): 166–185. doi:10.5325/studamerhumor.10.2.0166. ISSN 0095-280X.
  6. ↑ Miller, Katie (September 2011). "Kate Clinton: An Interview with 'Lady HAHA'". OutServe Magazine. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  7. ↑ Simonson, Robert (December 4, 1998). "Kate Clinton Stands Correct-ed at Westbeth Theatre, Jan. 19". Playbill. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  8. ↑ Azzopardi, Chris (2012-02-24). "Comedian Kate Clinton talks election, pissing off right-wingers and her responsibility to be political". OUT FRONT Magazine. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  9. ↑ Jacobs, Tom (1993-07-27). "Out Is in". Variety. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  10. ↑ "Don't Get Me Started by Kate Clinton". Publishers Weekly. 1998-05-04. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  11. ↑ "WHAT THE L?". Kirkus Reviews.
  12. ↑ Gwenwald, Morgan (2009-07-08). "I Told You So". Rainbow Round Table Book and Media Reviews. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
  13. ↑ "Laughing out loud: Gay and lesbian comics go the extra comedic mile on TV special". The Gazette. February 9, 1999.
  14. ↑ "Kate Clinton". Progressive.org. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  15. ↑ "Kate Clinton". Advocate. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  16. ↑ "Kate Clinton". HuffPost. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  17. ↑ Clinton, Kate (2008-06-16). "He Sees Gay People". American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  18. ↑ Gatz, Scott (June 11, 2008). "What pride means to me: Kate Clinton". GayCities. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  19. ↑ "The Outie Awards". Advocate. October 8, 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  20. ↑ Goldberg, Isa (2007-10-05). "On The Scene: Out & Equal Workplace Summit". GO Magazine. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  21. ↑ Ring, Trudy (14 May 2022). "Urvashi Vaid, Legendary Activist for LGBTQ+ Civil Rights, Dies at 63". The Advocate. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.