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)[1] 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.[2] She was raised in a large Catholic family in the state of New York.[3] 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.[3]

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.[2][4] Clinton is a self-described "fumerist," or feminist humorist.[5]

In addition to comedy appearances and one-woman shows such as Lady HAHA,[6] Climate Change,[citation needed] Correct Me If I'm Right,[7] All Fracked Up[8] and Out Is In,[9] she has written three books: Don't Get Me Started,[10] What the L?[11] and I Told You So.[12] She performed at the inaugural We're Funny That Way! comedy festival in 1997, and appeared in the festival's documentary film in 1998.[13]

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[14] and the national gay news magazine The Advocate.[15] She also wrote blogs for HuffPost.[16] 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.[17] Also in 2008, she went on her "Hilarity Clinton '08" one-person show tour.[18]

Clinton is a regular MC at the Out & Equal Workplace Summit.[19][20]

Personal life

Clinton lived in New York City and Provincetown with her partner Urvashi Vaid from 1988 until Vaid's death in 2022.[21] 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. ^ a b "LGBT History Month profile: Comedian, political humorist Kate Clinton". LGBTQ Nation. October 11, 2012. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
  3. ^ a b 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.
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