ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the stereotype of the humorless lesbians arises because if women are considered to have no sense of humor, then lesbians-who are, as they themselves sometimes say, woman identified must have even less humor than heterosexual women. In their examination of lesbian humor, the linguists Janet Bing and Dana Heller point out that it takes many forms. Jack Halberstam argues that lesbians, particularly butch lesbians who completely rejected heterosexual female roles, behavior, clothing, and other attributes, were also invested in particular forms of masculinity. Germans are an interesting kind of parallel case to lesbians, because like lesbians, a widespread assumption about them is that they have no sense of humor. The stereotype of the humorless German is a staple of Anglo-American comedy. The conclusion is that lesbians did not develop a camp aesthetic not only because of their particular social history, but also because of their particular structural positioning.
