Gay is a word (a noun or an adjective) that primarily refers to a homosexual person.

The term was originally used to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"; it had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637. The term's use as a reference to homosexuality may date as early as the late 19th century, but its use gradually increased in the 20th century. In modern English, ''gay'' has come to be used as an adjective, and as a noun, referring to the people, especially to men, and the practices and cultures associated with homosexuality. By the end of the 20th century, the word ''gay'' was recommended by major LGBT groups and style guides to describe people attracted to members of the same sex. At about the same time, a new, pejorative use became prevalent in some parts of the world. In the Anglosphere, this connotation, among younger speakers, has a derisive meaning equivalent to ''rubbish'' or ''stupid'' (as in "That's so gay."). In this use, the word does not mean "homosexual", so it can be used, for example, to refer to an inanimate object or abstract concept of which one disapproves. This usage can also refer to weakness or unmanliness. When used in this way, the extent to which it still retains connotations of homosexuality has been debated and harshly criticized.

History

Overview

thumb|250px|Cartoon from Punch magazine in 1857 illustrating the use of "gay" as a euphemism for being a prostitute. One woman says to the other (who looks glum), "How long have you been gay?" The poster on the wall is for La Traviata, an opera about a courtesan.The word "gay" arrived in English during the 12th century from Old French ''gai'', most likely deriving ultimately from a Germanic source. For most of its life in English, the word's primary meaning was "joyful", "carefree", "bright and showy", and the word was very commonly used with this meaning in speech and literature. For example, the optimistic 1890s are still often referred to as the ''Gay Nineties''. The title of the 1938 French ballet ''Gaîté Parisienne'' ("Parisian Gaiety"), which became the 1941 Warner Brothers movie, ''The Gay Parisian'', also illustrates this connotation. It was apparently not until the 20th century that the word began to be used to mean specifically "homosexual", although it had earlier acquired sexual connotations.

The derived abstract noun ''gaiety'' remains largely free of sexual connotations, and has, in the past, been used in the names of places of entertainment; for example W.B. Yeats heard Oscar Wilde lecture at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin.

Sexualization

The word had started to acquire associations of immorality by 1637 and was used in the late 17th century with the meaning "addicted to pleasures and dissipations." This was by extension from the primary meaning of "carefree": implying "uninhibited by moral constraints." A ''gay woman'' was a prostitute, a ''gay man'' a womanizer and a ''gay house'' a brothel.

The use of ''gay'' to mean "homosexual" was in origin merely an extension of the word's sexualised connotation of "carefree and uninhibited", which implied a willingness to disregard conventional or respectable sexual mores. Such usage is documented as early as the 1920s, and there is evidence for it before the 20th century, although it was initially more commonly used to imply heterosexually unconstrained lifestyles, as in the once-common phrase "gay Lothario", or in the title of the book and film ''The Gay Falcon'' (1941), which concerns a womanizing detective whose first name is "Gay." Well into the mid 20th century a middle-aged bachelor could be described as "gay", indicating that he was unattached and therefore free, without any implication of homosexuality. This usage could apply to women too. The British comic strip ''Jane'' was first published in the 1930s and described the adventures of ''Jane Gay''. Far from implying homosexuality, it referred to her free-wheeling lifestyle with plenty of boyfriends (while also punning on Lady Jane Grey).

A passage from Gertrude Stein's ''Miss Furr & Miss Skeene'' (1922) is possibly the first traceable published use of the word to refer to a homosexual relationship. According to Linda Wagner-Martin (''Favored Strangers: Gertrude Stein and her Family'' (1995)) the portrait, "featured the sly repetition of the word gay, used with sexual intent for one of the first times in linguistic history," and Edmund Wilson (1951, quoted by James Mellow in ''Charmed Circle'' (1974)) agreed. For example:

Other usages at this date involve some of the same ambiguity as Coward's lyrics. ''Bringing Up Baby'' (1938) was the first film to use the word ''gay'' in apparent reference to homosexuality. In a scene showing Cary Grant's clothes going to the cleaners. He is forced to wear a lady's feathery robe. When another character asks about his robe, he responds "Because I just went gay...all of a sudden!" Since this was a mainstream film at a time when the use of the word to refer to homosexuality would still be unfamiliar to most film-goers, the line can also be interpreted to mean "I just decided to do something frivolous." There is much debate about what Grant meant with the ad-lib (the line was not in the script). The word continued to be used with the dominant meaning of "carefree", as evidenced by the title of ''The Gay Divorcee'' (1934), a musical film about a heterosexual couple. It was originally to be called ''"The Gay Divorce"'' after the play on which it was based, but the Hays Office determined that while a divorcee may be gay, it would be unseemly to allow a divorce to appear so.

Shift to ''homosexual''

By the mid-20th century, ''gay'' was well established in reference to hedonistic and uninhibited lifestyles and its antonym ''straight'', which had long had connotations of seriousness, respectability, and conventionality, had now acquired specific connotations of heterosexuality. In the case of ''gay'', other connotations of frivolousness and showiness in dress ("gay apparel") led to association with camp and effeminacy. This association no doubt helped the gradual narrowing in scope of the term towards its current dominant meaning, which was at first confined to subcultures. ''Gay'' was the preferred term since other terms, such as ''queer'', were felt to be derogatory. ''Homosexual'' is perceived as excessively clinical, since the sexual orientation now commonly referred to as "homosexuality" was at that time a mental illness diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

In mid-20th century Britain, where male homosexuality was illegal until the Sexual Offences Act 1967, to openly identify someone as homosexual was considered very offensive and an accusation of serious criminal activity. Additionally, none of the words describing any aspect of homosexuality were considered suitable for polite society. Consequently, a number of euphemisms were used to hint at suspected homosexuality. Examples include "sporty" girls and "artistic" boys, all with the stress deliberately on the otherwise completely innocent adjective.

The sixties marked the transition in the predominant meaning of the word gay from that of "carefree" to the current "homosexual". By 1963, a new sense of the word ''gay'' was known well enough to be used by Albert Ellis in his book ''The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Man-Hunting''. Similarly, Hubert Selby, Jr. in his 1964 novel ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'', could write "[he] took pride in being a homosexual by feeling intellectually and esthetically superior to those (especially women) who weren't gay..." Later examples of the original meaning of the word being used in popular culture include the theme song to the 1960–1966 animated TV series ''The Flintstones'', whereby viewers are assured that they will "have a gay old time." Similarly, the 1966 Herman's Hermits song "No Milk Today", which became a Top 10 hit in the UK and a Top 40 hit in the U.S. and included the lyric "No milk today, it was not always so / ''The company was gay'', we had turn night into day." In June 1967, the headline of the review of the Beatles' ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' album in the British daily newspaper ''The Times'' stated, "The Beatles revive hopes of progress in pop music with their gay new LP". Yet in the same year, The Kinks recorded "David Watts". Ostensibly about schoolboy envy, the song also operated as an in-joke, as related in Jon Savage's "The Kinks: The Official Biography", because the song took its name from a homosexual promoter they'd encountered who'd had romantic designs on songwriter Ray Davies' teenage brother; and the lines "he is so gay and fancy free" attest to the ambiguity of the word's meaning at that time, with the second meaning evident only for those in the know. As late as 1970, the first episode of ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' has the demonstrably straight Mary Richards' downstairs neighbor, Phyllis, breezily declaiming that Mary is, at age 30, still "young and gay."

There is little doubt that the homosexual sense is a development of the word's traditional meaning, as described above. It has nevertheless been claimed that ''gay'' stands for "Good As You", but there is no evidence for this: it is a folk etymology backronym.

Homosexuality

Sexual orientation, identity, behavior

The American Psychological Association states that ''sexual orientation'' "describes the pattern of sexual attraction, behavior and identity e.g. homosexual (aka gay, lesbian), bisexual and heterosexual (aka straight)". It says, "There is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay, or lesbian orientation. Although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social, and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors. Many think that nature and nurture both play complex roles."

According to Rosario, Schrimshaw, Hunter, Braun (2006), "the development of a lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) sexual identity is a complex and often difficult process. Unlike members of other minority groups (e.g., ethnic and racial minorities), most LGB individuals are not raised in a community of similar others from whom they learn about their identity and who reinforce and support that identity. Rather, LGB individuals are often raised in communities that are either ignorant of or openly hostile toward homosexuality."

The British gay rights activist Peter Tatchell has argued that the term ''gay'' is merely a cultural expression which reflects the current status of homosexuality within a given society, and claiming that "Queer, gay, homosexual ... in the long view, they are all just temporary identities. One day, we will not need them at all."

If a person engages in same-sex sexual encounters but does not self-identify as gay, terms such as 'closeted', 'discreet', or 'bi-curious' may be applied. Conversely, a person may identify as gay without engaging in homosexual sex. Possible choices include identifying as gay socially while choosing to be celibate or while anticipating a first homosexual experience. Further, a bisexual person can also identify as "gay" but others might consider ''gay'' and ''bisexual'' to be mutually exclusive. There are some who are drawn to the same-sex, and may not have sex, and also not identify as gay; these could have the term 'asexual' applied, even though an 'asexual' generally can mean no attraction, and includes heterosexual attraction that is not sufficient to engage in sex, or where the sex act is not desirable, even though titillation may occur.

Terminology

Some reject the term ''homosexual'' as an identity-label because they find it too clinical-sounding; they believe it is too focused on physical acts rather than romance or attraction, or too reminiscent of the era when homosexuality was considered a mental illness. Conversely, some reject term ''gay'' as an identity-label because they perceive the cultural connotations to be undesirable or because of the negative connotations of the slang usage of the word.

Style guides, like the following from the Associated Press, call for ''gay'' over ''homosexual'':

}}

Gay community vs. LGBT community

Just as the word ''gay'' is sometimes used as a shorthand for the term LGBT, so is ''gay community'' sometimes a synonym for the ''LGBT community''. In other cases, the speaker may be referring only to homosexual men. Starting in the mid-1980s in the United States, a conscious effort was underway within what was then called the gay community, to add the term ''lesbian'' to the name of all gay organizations that catered to both male and female homosexuals, and to use the terminology of gay and lesbian, or lesbian/gay when referring to that community. So, organizations like the National Gay Task Force became the National Lesbian/Gay Task Force. For many ardent feminist lesbians, it was also important that the ''L'' come first, lest an ''L'' following a ''G'' become another symbol of male dominance over women. In the 1990s, this was followed by another equally concerted push to include the terminology specifically pointing out the inclusion of bisexuals and transgender people, reflecting an end to the intra-community debate as to whether these other sexual minorities were part of the same sexual liberation movement. Most news organizations have formally adopted this use, following the example and preference of the LGBT organizations, as reflected in their press releases and public communications. Today, many people interpret the phrase "gay community" to mean "the population of LGBT people."

Descriptor

The term ''gay'' can also be used as an adjective to describe things related to homosexuals or things which are part of the said culture. For example, the term "gay bar" describes the bar which is either homosexually oriented, caters primarily to a homosexual clientele, or is otherwise part of homosexual culture.

Using it to describe an object, such as an item of clothing, suggests that it is particularly flamboyant, often on the verge of being gaudy and garish. This usage predates the association of the term with homosexuality, but has acquired different connotations since the modern usage developed.

Using the term ''gay'' as an adjective where the meaning is akin to "related to homosexual people, culture, or homosexuality in general" is a widely accepted use of the word.

People who oppose homosexuality, especially homophobic ones, may use the term ''gay'' in the pejorative sense, ascribing the term negative connotations.

Use as a noun

The label "''gay''" was originally used purely as an adjective ("he is a gay man" or "he is gay"). The term has been in use as a noun with the meaning "homosexual man" since the 1970s, as in "gays are opposed to that policy." Although some dislike this usage, it is common, such as in the case of "LGBT" ("lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender"), and particularly in the names of various organizations such as Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and Children Of Lesbians And Gays Everywhere (COLAGE). It is sometimes used as a singular noun, as in "he is a gay", such as in its use to comic effect by the ''Little Britain'' character Dafydd Thomas.

Generalized pejorative use

When used with a derisive attitude (e.g. "that was so gay"), the word ''gay'' is pejorative. While retaining its other meanings, it has also acquired "a widespread current usage" amongst young people, as a general term of disparagement. This pejorative usage has its origins in the late 1970s. Beginning in the 1980s and especially in the late 1990s, the usage as a generic insult became common among young people.

This usage of the word has been criticized as homophobic. A 2006 BBC ruling by the Board of Governors over the use of the word in this context by Chris Moyles on his Radio 1 show, ''"I do not want that one, it's gay,"'' advises "caution on its use" for this reason:

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The BBC's ruling was heavily criticised by the Minister for Children, Kevin Brennan, who stated in response that "the casual use of homophobic language by mainstream radio DJs" is:

}}

Shortly after the Moyles incident a campaign against homophobia was launched in Britain under the slogan "homophobia is gay", playing on the double meaning of the word "gay" in youth culture.

Parallels in other languages

The German equivalent for ''gay'', ''schwul'', which is etymologically derived from ''schwuel'' (hot, humid), also acquired the pejorative meaning within youth culture.

In the two standards of the Portuguese language (i.e. the Brazilian and European ones), gay, ''guei'', ''lésbica'', ''homossexual'', ''bissexual'', ''pansexual'' and ''bi-curioso/bi-curiosa'' are among the common acceptable terms for people, along the still widespread used slur "''bicha''", that as queer in English (with an ironically similar use, pejorative for effeminate men and everyone which is not heterosexual and/or cisgender, but which would also be translated to an informal term for parasitic worm), was increasingly reappropriated by the community from the mid-1990s to the mid-2010s, and there were attempts to make it with at least one other common slur, "''viado''" (from ''desviado'', "male sexual deviant"). Generally the community is denoted by the English terms or its more direct translations. The sexual orientations can be interchangeably called by ''homossexualidade/bissexualidade'' and ''homossexualismo/bissexualismo'' without pejorative connotations, although the latter is widely regarded as politically incorrect in Brazil since mid-2000s because of cultural influence from English-speaking countries.

As in English, there is a pejorative use of the term ''gay'' in Portuguese-speaking countries among people of all age groups (generally males), but more frequently within the youth culture, frequently translating as flashy, flamboyant, effeminate, coward or lame, acting as a term to designate everything outside the macho gender role of the Iberian and Latin American cultures and thus deemed as improper attitude or item to a male.

The Spanish language usually employ the term ''homosexual'' to describe gay people and the community, but also use the English word "gay". The Spanish pejorative slang terms for a gay male, ''maricón'' and ''joto'', derive in the former case from the name Maria; in the latter, from associations with dances of similar names. The Spanish slang for a lesbian, ''manflor'', appears to derive from an association with a "masculinized" flower.

The concept of a "gay identity" and the use of the term ''gay'' may not be used or understood the same way in non-Westernised cultures, since modes of sexuality may differ from those prevalent in the West.

See also

Anti-LGBT slogans

Gender identity

Gender identity disorder

Gay bashing

Hate speech

Stigma

Deviance (sociology)

Labeling theory

Heterosexism

Human Rights Campaign

LGBT rights opposition

List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people

LGBT themes in mythology

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

Human male sexuality

Religion and sexuality

Sexuality and gender identity-based cultures

Notes

Further reading

External links

2 Category:LGBT terms Category:Sexual orientation Category:Reclaimed words

af:Gay als:Schwul ast:Gai az:Homoseksuallıq ba:Гей bg:Гей br:Gae ca:Gai ceb:Bayot cs:Gay cy:Hoyw de:Gay et:Gei el:Ομοφυλόφιλος es:Gay eo:Gejo fa:همجنس‌گرایی مردانه fr:Gay (homosexualité) ga:Aerach gl:Gai ko:게이 hy:Արվամոլ hr:Gej iu:ᑕᑯᑦᓱᒍᓱᑉᐳᖅ ᐊᑯᓐᓂᖓᓐᓂ ᒪᒡᒎᒃ ᐊᖑᑦ it:Gay he:גיי ka:გეი ku:Gay lv:Gejs mk:Хомосексуалец ml:കുണ്ടൻ mr:गे ms:Gay mn:Гэй nah:Tecuīlontiliztli ja:ゲイ uz:Gey pl:Gej pt:Gay qu:Chinaku ru:Гей si:සමරිසි simple:Gay sk:Gay (homosexuál) sr:Геј sh:Gej ta:நம்பி th:เกย์ tr:Gey uk:Гей vi:Người đồng tính nam zh:男同性戀

name	Sam Merlotte
series	True Blood
first	Novel: ''Dead Until Dark'' Television: "Strange Love"
creator	Charlaine Harris
portrayer	Sam Trammell
species	Shape shifter
gender	Male
occupation	Business owner Bartender
significantother	Callisto (maenad)
nationality	American }}

Sam Merlotte is a fictional character from the ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse Series'' by author Charlaine Harris.

Sam lives in the fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, and is the owner of a bar named Merlotte's. Sam has strawberry blond hair with blue eyes. He is both a close friend of and the employer of mind-reading barmaid Sookie Stackhouse. Sam is a shape shifter. His biological mother was a shifter as well as his brother. He is a true shape-shifter in that he can take the form of any animal; although his preferred shape is that of a collie, he can change into any animal he has seen. On nights when the moon is full, Sam - like all shapeshifters - feels a strong urge to change; the rest of the time he can do it at will. In the eighth book during the were war, instead of turning into a collie as usual, Sam unexpectedly changes to a lion to protect Sookie. It is said that the enemy werewolves were even frightened to challenge him due to his now great strength, though he is eventually challenged by the enemy pack leader, who initially jumps on his back but proves to be no real challenge as he defeats her with little effort and then goes on to kill more werewolves brutally, as Sookie watches now under Claudine's protection.

Sam has expressed his interest in Sookie and has kissed her on more than one occasion, but the two have never actually dated. He remains her good friend and supporter. He is protective of Sookie and is both jealous and concerned when Sookie involves herself first with the vampire Bill Compton and then Bill's employer Eric Northman. Under the guise of platonic friendship, he often advises Sookie to get away from the vampires while she still can. Despite this, Sam is dragged into the drama that surrounds Sookie and other supernatural creatures on an irregular basis.

Sam also engages in a sexual relationship with Callisto, a maenad, who briefly drifts through Sookie's hometown (and later attacks Sookie). Callisto leaves Bon Temps shortly after the attack.

When Sookie unexpectedly discovers that Sam is a shape-shifter, she is hurt that he did not see fit to confide in her because she has always been open with him about her own condition. With time, their friendship recovers.

Background in the novels

In the book series, it is revealed that both of Sam's parents were shape-shifters. His father is dead. Both Sam and his mother have kept their true nature secret from his human stepfather, brother, and sister. Because only the first-born of a were couple inherits the ability to change, his younger siblings are just regular humans.

Sam drifted from town to town before deciding to settle in Bon Temps and buy the bar. Since the Weres and shifters publicly revealed themselves, Sam has mentioned that he is an U.S. Army veteran, as was his father. Sam has generally avoided long relationships, but has dated other Werewolves and shifters. Although he was always attracted to Sookie, he did not reveal it to her until after she began dating Bill Compton. They each tend to be more than a little suspicious of the other's choices in romantic partners.

Television portrayal

In the HBO series True Blood, based on the The Southern Vampire Mysteries, Sam is portrayed by actor Sam Trammell. In the first season, Sam engages in a brief sexual relationship with Tara Thornton. Sam is also revealed, in the second season, to have had a sexual encounter with the maenad Maryann while he was still an adolescent. Maryann comes to Bon Temps looking for the now adult Sam, convinced that he is the sacrificial victim she needs to bring forth her god. In the season's conclusion, Sam and Bill concoct a scheme to trick Maryann into making herself vulnerable, and succeeds in killing her by shifting into a white bull, which is the symbol for Maryann's god, with her defences down, Sam in bull form uses his horn to impale her and then transforms back to his human self to rip out her heart.

Sam was adopted as a child by the Merlottes, who then abandoned him when his abilities manifested at the age of 15. At the beginning of Season 3 Bill and Sam have a short seductive gay scene which is revealed to be a dream sequence, this is a consequence of ingesting vampire blood. Afterwards, Sam travels to Arkansas to find his biological family, the Mickens. He discovers that his biological mother and younger brother are also shape-shifters, and that his father is hiding a secret. Soon after Sam meets his biological parents he learns of his brother Tommy is being forced into dog fighting due to him being a shifter for money. Sam eventually saves Tommy from his corrupt parents and takes him to live with him and then the troubles soon start. At the close of Season 3, Tommy reveals he cannot read. He is fired from his Merlotte's job by a drunk Sam. Tommy steals Sam's money and tries to run, but is shot and wounded by Sam.

In Season 4 Sam has joined a group of fellow shifters and started a romance with Luna, one its members. Sam tolerates Tommy until Tommy uses his newfound skin-walker powers to imitate Sam to fire Sookie from the bar and sleep with Luna. Sam and Tommy reconcile moments before Tommy's death.

Category:Fictional shapeshifters Category:Fictional businesspeople Category:Fictional bartenders

es:Sam Merlotte it:Sam Merlotte pt:Sam Merlotte

William H. "Bill" Compton, Jr., MA (October 6, 1945, Rockford, Illinois – August 27, 2007) was a mental health advocate in California who attained national stature. After suffering a mental health crisis in 1989, he became heavily involved in self-help and patients' rights advocacy issues, including running a large network of peer support groups between 1994 and 2007.

Work in the mental health field

Beginning in 1994, Compton headed Project Return: The Next Step (PR:TNS), a consumer-run self-help network supported by the National Mental Health Association of Greater Los Angeles. In May 2007, the organization was renamed Project Return Peer Support Network. He became director of the network when the sponsoring organization decided to turn the network's administration over to those who used its services.

Compton built the network from about thirty peer-support groups to more than one hundred, which employed about one hundred individuals in positions ranging from stipend to full time, serving several thousand individuals with serious mental disorders. The network included projects that Compton developed, such as PR:TNS Discovery Centers, which provided personal and professional growth opportunities, and the Friendship Line, an after-hours phone service that provided peer-to-peer support for people with mental illness.

Compton was on the Board of Directors of Mental Health America (formerly the National Mental Health Association) from 2002 to 2007. He was also president of the board of Protection & Advocacy, Inc. of California, which focused on protecting the rights of mental health and other disabled consumers throughout California. Beginning in November, 2003, Compton was the chairman of the board of directors for the Pacific Clinic, the largest nonprofit mental health organization in California, based in Pasadena, California; he left that position in 2005.

In 2005, Compton wrote a one-man play, "Swept Away or The Week That I Went Crazy." He performed it at a number of conferences and schools.

Personal history

Compton was born in 1945 in Rockford, Illinois. He spent his teenage years at a military boarding school in West Virginia; during the 1960s, he was a vocal anti-war activist. Compton earned a bachelor of arts degree in 1969 in Theater Arts from the University of Akron, and returned to earn a master of arts degree in 1986. During this time he worked as an actor, producer and director in New York, Boston, and eventually Los Angeles. In Boston, in the 1970s, he ran a then-innovative business for theater-goers to purchase tickets by phone, using a credit card. He sold the business, Quickcharge, to a predecessor of Ticketmaster.

In 1989, in his mid-40s and an event salesperson for a large Los Angeles theater, Compton suffered a complete mental breakdown; his family believes it may have been caused by his use of crystal methamphetamine. When he was diagnosed as having late-onset schizophrenia, he had already left his job and had no health insurance. After three admissions to a private hospital over a nine-month period, paid for by his family, he was transferred to a public hospital. Upon his discharge from there, Compton went to live in a community board and care home. He began hearing voices again, ending up living on the streets for nine months, panhandling for money to buy food. In the early 1990s, he made his way to a hospital waiting room, his first step on the road to recovery.

Presentations and testimony

In 2001, while president of the California Network of Mental Health Clients, a statewide alliance of consumers, Compton testified before the state legislature’s Joint Commission on Mental Health Reform.

Compton made presentations at state and national conferences on topics such as establishing and enhancing a network of self-help clubs, running a peer support telephone help line and incorporating the role of consumer-run services into a mental health system.

He regularly made presentations to graduate students at the University of Southern California School of Social Work and Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, as well as psychology students at the University of California Los Angeles.

Awards and recognition

In June 2001, the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) presented the Clifford W. Beers Award to Compton at its annual conference in Washington, D.C. In June 2002, Compton received the Consumer Advocacy Award from the International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitative Agencies. In November 2003, Eli Lilly and Company gave Compton its "Helping Move Lives Forward Reintegration Award" for his mentorship of people with mental illness. In 2004, Compton was included in Who's Who in America. In 2007, Compton received a proclamation from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for bringing Project Return Peer Support Network members "into a full participation in community life."

References

External links

PRTNS.org - Project Return: The Next Step (PR:TNS)

Category:1945 births Category:American health activists Category:People from Rockford, Illinois Category:Personal development Category:University of Akron alumni Category:2007 deaths

name	Catherine Tate
birth name	Catherine Ford
birth date	May 12, 1968
birth place	Bloomsbury, London, England
years active	1990–present
occupation	Actress, writer, comedienne
domesticpartner	Twig Clark (until 2011)
children	Erin Clark (born 2003)
television	''The Office''''Big Train''''Wild West''''The Catherine Tate Show''''Doctor Who''
residence	Richmond upon Thames, London, England
nationality	British
ethnicity	White British
religion	}}

Catherine Tate (born Catherine Ford on 12 May 1968) is an English actress, writer and comedienne. She has won numerous awards for her work on the sketch comedy series ''The Catherine Tate Show'' as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and seven BAFTA Awards. Following the success of ''The Catherine Tate Show'', Tate played Donna Noble in the 2006 Christmas special of ''Doctor Who'' and later reprised her role, becoming the Doctor's companion for the fourth series in 2008.

Early life and education

Tate was born in Bloomsbury and brought up in the Brunswick Centre. Her mother, Josephine, was a florist, and Tate has said that the character of Margaret in ''The Catherine Tate Show'', who shrieks at the slightest of disturbances, is based largely on Josephine.

Tate never knew her father, as he left very early on in her life, and consequently, she was brought up in a female-dominated environment, being cared for by her mother, grandmother and her godparents. As a child, Tate suffered from an obsessive-compulsive disorder which centred on word association. For example, Tate was not able to leave a jumper on the floor or it might have brought misfortune to her mother whose name began with the letter "J" like jumper.

She attended St Joseph's, Macklin Street, Holborn, a local Roman Catholic primary school. She then attended Notre Dame High School, Southwark, a South London convent secondary school for girls that was run by nuns. By the time Tate was a teenager, she knew she wanted to follow a professional acting career, and was subsequently sent to a boys' Roman Catholic school, Salesian College in Battersea at the age of 16. The school had the necessary facilities for drama. Tate left school without sitting her A-Levels. She then tried for four years to get a place in the Central School of Speech and Drama (University of London), succeeding on her fourth attempt. She studied there for three years, and until the age of 26, she lived in Holborn and Bloomsbury. Prior to getting a place at the Central School of Speech and Drama, Tate went to the Sylvia Young Theatre School, but left after a week; "Even at that age I realised I wasn't Bonnie Langford. It was very competitive", she stated.

Career

Beginnings

Tate began her television acting career with roles in serial dramas such as ''The Bill'', and London's Burning. Tate started stand-up comedy in 1996, and has appeared in comedy series such as ''The Harry Hill Show'', ''Barking'' and ''That Peter Kay Thing'' and a role in ''Men Behaving Badly''. She played the part of Kate in the unaired pilot episode of sitcom Not Going Out alongside Lee Mack and Tim Vine. In 1998 she wrote and starred in ''Barking'', a late night sketch show broadcast on Channel 4 and featuring a host of, back then, unknown stars such as David Walliams, Peter Kay and Mackenzie Crook.

Soon after, she became involved with Lee Mack's Perrier Comedy Award-nominated ''New Bits'' show at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2000. In 2001, she returned to the festival with her own sell-out one-woman show, which was followed by roles in ''Big Train'', ''Attention Scum'' and ''TVGoHome''. After being spotted at Edinburgh, she was given the role of Angela in the comedy, ''Wild West'', with Dawn French, who commented "Catherine Tate is far too talented and she must be destroyed."

Tate has also performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and at the National Theatre. She acted the role of Smeraldina in a 2000 RSC production of ''A Servant to Two Masters'', and another role in ''The Way of the World'' at the National Theatre.

2004–05

Tate was approached at a post-show party at the Edinburgh Festival by then-BBC controller of comedy Geoffrey Perkins, who encouraged Tate to develop her character ideas, especially to push the boundaries with teenager Lauren Cooper. Undertaking Perkins' advice, after a live show Tate found the audience walking out of the show repeating the character's catchphrase ''Am I bovvered?''

Produced by Perkins at Tiger Aspect, Tate was given her own programme on BBC Two in 2004, which she co-wrote and starred in with Derren Litten, entitled ''The Catherine Tate Show'', which ran for three series. Two of the show's well-known characters are teenager Lauren Cooper and Joannie "Nan" Taylor, the cockney grandmother. Tate's inspiration for the cockney grandmother came from visits to old people's homes when she was at drama college. Tate won a British Comedy Award for Best Comedy Newcomer for her work on the first series of ''The Catherine Tate Show'', and with the first series becoming a success, in March 2005, Tate made a guest appearance during the BBC's Comic Relief as the character of Lauren from ''The Catherine Tate Show'', alongside boy-band McFly, which gained her further exposure.

In November 2005, Tate appeared in another charity sketch as part of the BBC's annual ''Children in Need'' telethon. The segment was a crossover between ''EastEnders'' and ''The Catherine Tate Show'', featuring ''Eastenders'' characters Peggy Mitchell, Little Mo Mitchell and Stacey Slater, whilst Tate appeared as Lauren. Also at that time, she was a guest star at the 77th ''Royal Variety Performance'' and appeared again in the guise of Lauren Cooper. During the sketch, Tate looked up at the Royal Box and asked The Queen, "Is one bovvered? Is one's face bovvered?". She also commented during the sketch that Prince Philip had fallen asleep: "she is bling, but the old fella next to her is asleep!" He then reportedly complained to the show's executive producer, saying he had been insulted. Tate later won a British Comedy Award for Best British Comedy Actress for her work in the second series of ''The Catherine Tate Show''. At the end of 2005, she appeared in the BBC television adaptation of ''Bleak House''.

Tate returned to the stage for the first time since working with the RSC, to play a role in the 2005 West End revival of ''Some Girl(s)'', alongside Sara Powell, Lesley Manville, Saffron Burrows and ''Friends'' star David Schwimmer. In an interview, Tate commented that she could not look Schwimmer in the eye during her time with him, leading to speculation that the pair did not get on. Tate immediately denied the rumours, explaining that she was joking about her attempts to act "cool" around Schwimmer, whom she described as "a very funny, personable man, and easy to get along with".

2006–07

The third series of ''The Catherine Tate Show'' aired in 2006, going on to win the National Television Award for most popular comedy as voted for by the public, and Tate's catchphrase "bovvered", used by her character Lauren Cooper, became so influential in popular culture that it was named Word of the Year and was even poised to enter the ''Oxford English Dictionary''. Tate also played the role of Donna Noble in ''Doctor Who'', a woman in a wedding dress who suddenly appears in the TARDIS at the end of the episode "Doomsday". The following episode, the Christmas special entitled "The Runaway Bride", saw Tate's character in a major role, where she was temporarily the Doctor's companion. On her appearance in the series, Tate commented "I'm honoured and delighted to be joining David Tennant aboard the TARDIS. I was holding out for a summer season at Wigan rep but as a summer job, this'll do."

Tate had roles in three films in 2006, these included, ''Starter for 10'', ''Sixty Six'', and ''Scenes of a Sexual Nature''. She later appeared in the films ''Mrs Ratcliffe's Revolution'', in which she played the title character, and ''Love and Other Disasters''.

In the 2007 television adaptation of the novel, ''The Bad Mother's Handbook'', she played the lead role and co-starred with Anne Reid.

On 16 March 2007, Tate appeared for a second time on Comic Relief as some of her well-known characters from ''The Catherine Tate Show''. She acted in sketches with David Tennant, Daniel Craig, Lenny Henry and the then Prime Minister Tony Blair, who used the show's famous catchphrase, "Am I bovvered?" Tate also appeared as Joannie "Nan" Taylor in an episode of ''Deal or No Deal'', hosted by Noel Edmonds.

Tate became a Patron of the performing arts group Theatretrain.

Late 2007–present

Despite speculation that the third series of ''The Catherine Tate Show'' would be the last, Tate and the BBC have not ruled out further episodes. She later filmed a one-off special episode which aired on Christmas Day 2007. The episode was subject to criticism when 42 viewers complained about the amount of swearing, and accused Tate of bigotry over the depiction of a family from Northern Ireland as terrorists, whose Christmas presents included a balaclava and a pair of knuckle dusters, in reference to the Troubles. After the complaints were made, an Ofcom report later concluded that the show was not offensive and did not violate broadcasting regulations. An extract from the Ofcom report read "Overall this episode was typical of the Catherine Tate Show and would not have gone beyond the expectations of its usual audience. For those not familiar with the show, the information given at the start was adequate."

She has also been nominated for four BAFTA Awards for her work on ''The Catherine Tate Show'' to date, including Best Comedy Performance.

Tate returned to ''Doctor Who'' in 2008 to reprise the role of Donna Noble as the Doctor's companion throughout the fourth series, which was shown on BBC One starting on 5 April for a 13-week run. Producer Russell T Davies said, "We are delighted that one of Britain's greatest talents has agreed to join us for the fourth series." Tate added, "I am delighted to be returning to ''Doctor Who''. I had a blast last Christmas and look forward to travelling again through time and space with that nice man from Gallifrey." At the TV Quick Awards 2008, Tate was voted best actress for her role in ''Doctor Who''. She returned as Donna Noble in the two-part ''Doctor Who'' Christmas special "The End of Time" which was broadcast over Christmas 2009.

In 2008, she starred as Michelle, a 38-year-old promiscuous maths teacher, in David Eldridge's ''Under The Blue Sky'' at the Duke of York's Theatre, London, alongside Francesca Annis and Nigel Lindsay. Tate injured her ankle in rehearsal on 15 July. She tackled previews with the aid of a crutch.

On 11 April 2009, 26 December 2009 and 30 January 2010, Tate with David Tennant guest hosted Jonathan Ross' BBC Radio 2 show.

In 2009 she created a one off special spin off to her long running TV sketch show. Although this time the show only starred 'Nan'. In the show, Nan played Scrooge, and was visited by 3 ghosts, one of whom was played by David Tennant. The show was a one off Christmas special.

In 2010, Tate took part in ''Channel 4's Comedy Gala'', a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London on 30 March.

Tate took part in a series of short comedy films called 'Little Crackers'.

Tate appeared as Queen Isabelle of Lilliput in the 2010 film adaptation of ''Gulliver's Travels''.

On 18 March 2011, the video for Take That's new single "Happy Now" was debuted on Comic Relief. The video shows comedians Catherine Tate, Alan Carr, James Corden, John Bishop and David Walliams audition to become Take That's ultimate tribute band, Fake That. Filming took place at Ealing Studios on 17 February 2011.

Tate appeared alongside former co-star David Tennant in the Shakespeare comedy ''Much Ado About Nothing'' at London's Wyndham's Theatre from 16 May to September 2011. For her performance – as Beatrice – Catherine won the BroadwayWorld UK Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play.

In the seventh season finale of ''The Office'', which aired on 19 May 2011, Tate guest starred as Nellie Bertram, a potential replacement for the departing Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell).

On Saturday 17 December 2011, Tate presented the second episode of Channel 4's ''Laughing at the...'' series – entitled "Catherine Tate: Laughing at the Noughties" – in which she met Alan Carr, David Walliams, Noel Fielding, Rob Brydon and (her ''Doctor Who'' co-star) David Tennant to discuss the comedy highlights of the noughties.

In January 2012, Tate returned to ''The Office'' for its eighth season. She reprised her role as Nellie, who was hired as a "misguided special projects manager".

Personal life

Tate's former partner is stage manager Twig Clark. They have a daughter, Erin (born at London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in January 2003), delivered following an emergency caesarean section. The family had a home in Richmond-upon-Thames, London. The family had both a cat and a dog, the latter of which was given to her by Jonathan Ross. Tate and Clark split before summer 2011. Tate has reportedly dated Take That's Jason Orange.

Tate is the patron for the Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust, supporting the charity since August 2006. In 2011 she took part in the charity's 2011 Charity Calendar

Tate suffered from postpartum depression, from which she only recovered after the filming of the second series of The Catherine Tate Show. She also suffers from occasional panic attacks. Regarding her personal outlook, Tate has said "I'm an incredibly negative person, so any form of success is only ever going to be a relief to me and set my default position back to neutral."

Awards and nominations

All for her work on ''The Catherine Tate Show'' unless otherwise stated:

Awards

2004: British Comedy Award — Best Comedy Newcomer

2006: RTS Television Award — Best Comedy Performance

2006: British Comedy Award – Best TV Comedy Actress

2007: National Television Awards — Most Popular Comedy Programme

2008: TV Quick Award — Best Actress in a Drama Series (for ''Doctor Who'')

Nominations

2004: British Comedy Award – Best TV Comedy Actress

2005: British Comedy Award – Best TV Comedy Actress

2005: British Comedy Award – People's Choice Award (polled most votes but award not received) 2005: International Emmy — Best Performance by an Actress

2005: BAFTA TV Award — Best New Writer

2005: BAFTA TV Award – Comedy Programme or Series Award

2006: BAFTA TV Award – Best Comedy Performance

2007: BAFTA TV Award – Best Comedy Programme

2008: Nickelodeon's UK Kids Choice Awards 2008 – Funniest Person

2008: Nickelodeon's UK Kids Choice Awards 2008 – Best TV Actress (for ''Doctor Who'')

2008: National Television Award – Outstanding Drama Performance (for ''Doctor Who'')

2011: BAFTA TV Award – Catherine Tate's Little Cracker

Filmography

Television and film

{|class="wikitable" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1990 | ''Surgical Spirit'' | Son's girlfriend | |- | 1993/94 | ''The Bill'' | WDC Palmer/Karen Brogan | |- |1994 | ''Milner'' | Jesson's P.A. | |- |1994 | ''Men Behaving Badly'' | Young woman | |- | 1998–2002 | ''Big Train'' | various roles | |- | 2000 | ''That Peter Kay Thing'' | | |- | 2001 | ''Attention Scum'' | | |- | 2002–2004 | ''Wild West'' | Angela Phillips | |- | 2004–20072009 | ''The Catherine Tate Show'' | various characters | |- | 2005 | ''Bleak House'' | Mrs Chadband | |- |rowspan=4| 2006 | ''Love and Other Disasters'' | Talullah Wentworth | |- | ''Starter for 10'' | Julie Jackson | |- | ''Sixty Six'' | Aunt Lila | |- | ''Scenes of a Sexual Nature'' | Sara | |- | 2005 || ''Marple'' | Mitzi Kosinski | "A Murder is Announced" |- | 200620082010 | ''Doctor Who'' | Donna Noble | "The Runaway Bride"Series 4 (Full Series)The End of Time |- | 2007 | ''The Bad Mother's Handbook'' | Karen | |- | 2007 | ''Mrs Ratcliffe's Revolution'' | Dorothy Ratcliffe | |- |rowspan=4| 2009 | ''The Sunday Night Project'' | Herself | Guest Host |- | ''The Justin Lee Collins Show'' | Herself | Guest |- | ''Genius'' | Herself | Guest |- | ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' | Herself | Guest |- | rowspan="2"|2010 | ''Little Crackers'' | Josephine | Short film, Tate's first directing role. |- | ''Gulliver's Travels'' | Queen of Lilliput | |- | rowspan="3"|2011 | ''Monte Carlo'' | Alicia | |- | ''The Itch of the Golden Nit'' || Stella || Voice only |- | ''A Quiet Word With ...'' | Herself | Guest, season 2, episode 3 |- | 2011– |''The Office'' | Nellie Bertram | "Search Committee", Season 8 (6 episodes) |- | 2011 | ''Laughing at the...'' | Herself | ''Catherine Tate: Laughing at the Noughties'' Presenter, season 1, episode 2 |}

Theatre

{|class="wikitable" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Theatre/Company |- | 1995 |''The Way of the World'' | |Royal National Theatre |- |- | 1996 |''The Prince’s Play'' |Barmaid |Royal National Theatre |- | rowspan="2"|2000 |''New Bits'' |Various roles |Edinburgh Festival |- |''A Servant to Two Masters'' |Smeraldina |Royal Shakespeare Company |- | rowspan="2"|2005 |''Some Girls'' |Sam |Gielgud Theatre |- |''Royal Variety Performance'' |Lauren Cooper |Wales Millennium Centre |- |2006 |''The Exonerated'' |Sunny Jacobs |Riverside Studios |- |- |2008 |''Under The Blue Sky'' |Michelle |Duke of York's Theatre |- |2010-2011 |''Season's Greetings'' |Belinda |Royal National Theatre |- | rowspan="2"|2011 |''Much Ado About Nothing'' |Beatrice |Wyndham's Theatre |- |''Sixty Six Books'' |God |Bush Theatre |- | 2012 |''24 Hour Plays'' |Various |American Airlines Theatre, Broadway |}

Radio and CD audio drama

{|class="wikitable" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Broadcaster |- | 2008 | ''The Forever Trap'' | Narrator | BBC Audio |- | 2009 | ''The Nemonite Invasion'' | Narrator | BBC Audio |- | 2009–10 | ''Jonathan Ross'' | Presenter | BBC Radio 2 |}

References

External links

Catherine Tate at bbc.co.uk/comedy

''The Catherine Tate Show'' at bbc.co.uk/comedy

Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:21st-century women writers Category:Actors from London Category:Alumni of the Central School of Speech and Drama Category:Audio book narrators Category:English comedians Category:English film actors Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:English television writers Category:English women writers Category:People from Bloomsbury Category:People from Holborn Category:Royal National Theatre Company members Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members Category:English women comedians

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