Kate Clinton hits New England

At a Boston Pride festival in the early 1990s, Kate Clinton told the audience how her family delicately broached the "your aunt is a lesbian" topic to her elementary school-aged niece. After a carefully researched and delivered set-up, her little niece cut to the chase. The niece wanted to know why they were telling her now when she�d known Aunt Kate was a lesbian for "like, forever."

This Pride, Aunt Kate performs at the Wilbur Theater in Boston on Friday, June 12 and follows it with a performance at the Comedy Connection in Chicopee on Saturday, June 13. Then she�s off to Provincetown for a summer full of shows that will take her straight through the first week of September.

Non-stop touring is par for the course, but how have things changed for Clinton since that early Pride performance? Well for one, that niece is all grown up and in her mid-twenties now. And as Clinton reports: "She recently told me a story about a friend telling her kids that somebody was a lesbian and the kid said �You mean she�s a girl?�"

Clinton�s return to Boston comes on the heels of successfully hosting both Fenway Community Health�s Men�s and Women�s fundraiser this past spring. Fundraising records were broken and Clinton, Lily Tomlin, and a host of LGBT trailblazers were on hand. When asked how the world looks from the vantage point of decades of activism, Kate is excited and enthralled with the state of today�s community. She sees that the California marriage defeat has activated a new generation that, she says, shows a "delightful sense of entitlement" when it comes to achieving a "full, moral equality." She�s equally delighted to see the continued strength of the feminist community, where women "now at the peak of their careers, know that they need to give now more than ever."

It�s been a while since Clinton has had the opportunity to play a full show in Boston in a big venue. And though she no longer has the former Bush administration as a surefire source of tragic-comedy fodder, fans can expect plenty of new material: "I�ll always have Cheney," she romantically remarks. And you can count on her usual hilarious and spot-on commentary on all things political and true.

I Told You So, Kate�s new book (Beacon Press) is also hitting this month, just in time for Pride. The book was completed in July of last year, but is fresh with perspective and humor. The collection of musings is "translated from �blogerian,�" says Clinton, and gives a "you are there" feel to how it must be to spend a day in Kate Clinton�s brain. Among the pages, Massachusetts residents will likely find appreciation for Clinton�s take on Mitt Romney�s lashing of his dog to the roof of his car during a car trip. And amazingly, she even makes me pine for Kirstie Alley�s Fat Actress period.

Kate Clinton will perform on Friday, June 12 at the Comedy Connection/Wilbur Theater (246 Tremont St., Boston). 7:30 p.m., tickets $29 and $37 via ticketmaster.com Or visit fenwayhealth.org/kateclinton for info on special tickets to meet Kate and benefit Fenway Community Health!

Kate Clinton will also perform on Saturday, June 13 at the Comedy Connection/Hu Ke Lau (705 Memorial Drive, Chicopee). 9:00 p.m., tickets $27 via ticketmaster.com. And beginning July 2, Clinton brings her "Yes on K8" show to the Paramount at Crown & Anchor all summer long (247 Commercial St., Provincetown). For specific show dates, times and ticket prices, visit onlyatthecrown.com. For more info on Kate Clinton, visit kateclinton.com.