Kathy Griffin on why she and "the gays" work well together

Newsweek talks with Kathy Griffin, and asks about her relationship with her gay audience:

As I learn more about the gay community I think it's kind of about fighting to be part of something and fighting to be noticed and taken seriously but always with a sense of outrageousness. That's what I love about Bette, because she used to say "F--- 'em if they can't take a joke." And then there's Liza, who overcame drugs and this overbearing man or that overbearing man and an outrageous mother. They love me because I'm outrageous, and I love them as an audience because they're the unshockable gays, which is what comedy should be about. But when I was in high school I went to prom with the gay kid, and I've always been friends with the gay kids.

I think you'll also find that these performers have also been adamant in embracing their gay fans in return. Midler's attitude towards critics who can't take a joke also applies to people who see her gay fans as lesser people who deserve to face constant discrimination and bigotry. Gay men and female performers are still, largely, outsiders in society and there's a power to hearing a comedian rail against the state of things, even when it's done in a sideways manner, as Griffin does with her mocking of Hollywood's A-list culture.