Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to Stand-Up Comedy
- Cambridge Companions to Theatre and Performance
- The Cambridge Companion to Stand-Up Comedy
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Comedians’ Insights What Do You Do to Prepare to Go Onstage?
- Part I Time and Place
- Part II Interpretation and Meaning
- Chapter 5 Stand-Up Comedy and Gender
- Chapter 6 Stand-Up Comedy and Sexuality
- Chapter 7 Laugh No Limit
- Chapter 8 Jewish American Stand-Up Comedy
- Chapter 9 Stand-Up Comedy, Disability, and Social Justice
- Chapter 10 Stand-Up Comedy and Offence
- Chapter 11 Stand-Up and Politics
- Comedians’ Insights Your Writing Process
- Part III Performance Dynamics
- Select Bibliography
- Index
- References
Chapter 6 - Stand-Up Comedy and Sexuality
from Part II - Interpretation and Meaning
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 August 2025
Edited by
Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to Stand-Up Comedy
- Cambridge Companions to Theatre and Performance
- The Cambridge Companion to Stand-Up Comedy
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Comedians’ Insights What Do You Do to Prepare to Go Onstage?
- Part I Time and Place
- Part II Interpretation and Meaning
- Chapter 5 Stand-Up Comedy and Gender
- Chapter 6 Stand-Up Comedy and Sexuality
- Chapter 7 Laugh No Limit
- Chapter 8 Jewish American Stand-Up Comedy
- Chapter 9 Stand-Up Comedy, Disability, and Social Justice
- Chapter 10 Stand-Up Comedy and Offence
- Chapter 11 Stand-Up and Politics
- Comedians’ Insights Your Writing Process
- Part III Performance Dynamics
- Select Bibliography
- Index
- References
Summary
The ability to disarm through amusement distinguishes humour from other rhetorical forms. And humour’s function as an ‘anti-rhetoric’ uniquely equips it to advance agendas and disavow its own potency simultaneously, rendering even the most acerbic critique ‘just a joke’. As they engage audiences with material that seeks to redress power imbalances, whether through subtle jabs or blatant attacks, LGBTQ comics create awareness and identification, enlightening their audiences through humour. This chapter provides an analysis of contemporary LGBTQ comics, focusing on the rhetorical functions of LGBTQ stand-up comedy. Specifically, examining the acts of ten gay, eight lesbian, and two trans comics reveals the way this discourse educates audiences about LGBTQ culture, critiques homophobia, and creates identification and empowerment for performers and audiences alike.
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- The Cambridge Companion to Stand-Up Comedy , pp. 124 - 139Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
References
Further Reading
Gilbert, Joanne R., Performing Marginality: Humor, Gender and Cultural Critique (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2004).Google Scholar
Gilbert, Joanne, ‘Laughs Last: Gender, Power, and Comic Identity’, in Peacock, Louise (ed.), A Cultural History of Comedy in the Modern Age (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2020), pp. 87–111.10.5040/9781350187849.ch-004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilbert, Joanne, ‘Lesbian Stand-Up Comics and the Politics of Laughter’, in Dickinson, Peter, Higgins, Anne, St Pierre, Paul Matthew, Solomon, Diana, and Zwagerman, Sean (eds), Women and Comedy: History, Theory, Practice (Lanham, MD: Farleigh Dickinson Press, co-published with Rowman & Littlefield, 2014), pp. 185–197.10.5040/9781683934776.ch15CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hennefeld, Maggie, Berke, Annie, and Rennett, Michael, ‘In Focus: What’s So Funny about Comedy and Humour Studies? Introduction’, JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, Vol. 58, No. 3, 2019: p. 138.Google Scholar
Krefting, Rebecca, ‘Hannah Gadsby Stands Down: Feminist Comedy Studies’, JCMS: Journal of Cinema & Media Studies, Vol. 58, No. 3, 2019: pp. 165–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krefting, Rebecca, ‘Hannah Gadsby: On the Limits of Satire’, Studies in American Humour, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2019: pp. 93–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cynthia, Willett and Willett, Julie, Uproarious: How Feminist and Other Subversive Comics Speak the Truth (Minneapolis: Minnesota University Press, 2019).Google Scholar
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