ABSTRACT

Ellen DeGeneres's outing of herself and her character last month on Ellen have brought the humor of gay men and women into the homes of many. Long before that show (30 April, 1997), four years of field notes were gathered in gay male nightclubs for this research. Analysis of the notes was done for the purpose of understanding humor's roles and functions for that case-study population.

Humor serves an adaptability role allowing for friend and mate relationship growth. Humor is an entry and intensity variable in the relationships of men joking in the gay nightclub. This growth occurs as a result of the expanded repertoire of humor types (advancement through humor classes) that they share.

Though humor class growth is both indicative and reflective of relationship growth, humor content is more significant in predicting relationship types, within this population. Coupled gay men used more anti-gay humor as their humor content; non-coupled gay men used more anti- straight humor. Who joked with whom affected humor content

ii and humor style. Single gay men in the crowd were scapegoated more often than coupled gay men. Single gay men seemed to accept this role. Female terms and pronouns were used more often when targets of the humor were single gay men.

Varying humor styles existed. Some enhanced communication competency more than others by having greater potential for flexibility and adaptability. As such, humor enhanced competency and could make communication more successful if norms were respected. Norms were explored as well; men were able to recognize uses of humor which violated norms but found articulating the norms difficult. Some relationships grew, and others ended while research continued. This leads to the humor calculus; a way of anticipating how a relationship is changing by examining how humor is changing. Unlike the humor used by Ellen, her producers, and her writers, the humor throughout this project was unscripted. This allows for a better understanding of humor's functions and roles in our own everyday lives, as opposed to seeing how gay or lesbian humor manifests itself in our living rooms via the medium of television.

iii A treatise on humor should naturally be dedicated to those who make us laugh the most. This includes not only the famed comediennes and comedians like Lucille Ball, Joan Rivers, Phyllis Diller, Moms Mabley, Gilda Radner, Roseanne, Ellen Degeneres, Rosie O'Donnell, Robin Williams, Jim Carey, Billy Crystal, Chris Rock, Bill Cosby, Dick Gregory, Bill Mahr, and the cast of Golden Girls. It also includes, for me, friends and family with whom I laugh loudest, hardest, and longest: Dr. Michele S. Davis, Dan Dugan, Bob Mangia, Brian Rafferty, Brett Reid, Adam Savage, Deb Stollenwerk, Chris Stringer, and Ken Swickard (here in Columbus); my subjects, my peers and my students (at Ohio State); countless friends from Everett, Pa. and Shippensburg University and, of course, my siblings (Janet, Barb, and Bill), nephews and nieces (Donnie, Brian, David, Heather and Hayley), and in-laws (Jody, Don, and Tom). Of course, I first learned laughter from my parents, and I dedicate this to them most of all: to Harold Emerson and Jessie Elizabeth Williams, I say thanks for life, love, long-time support/ encouragement, and lots and lots of laughter.

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