The Meaning of Being A Queer Comedian

Lots of comedians have lots of identities. If you are a blue comic you won’t be performing at a children’s birthday party (you know the big comedy money maker). If you are a clean comic, you don’t swear or talk about sex. If you are a Christian comic your goal is to make Jesus weep with laughter.

As a gay woman, I talk about my queerness on stage. I usually open my sets with a lesbian joke of some sort. My goto is a comment on my haircut (we are famous for these). Last night at a show I just pointed to myself and they got the memo. It is important for me to share this part of who I am for several reasons. First, if you don’t like queer people, this set is not for you. Second, it took a lot for me to come out and be the person I am today, and I am not ashamed, and not willing to ever hide that part of me. Finally, I think it is important for comedians to share their life experiences and to use them to relate to the audience. You don’t have to be part of the LGBTQIA community to laugh at a solid, or should I say sturdy, lesbian joke.

Most audiences I perform for are overwhelmingly straight-identified and that is but if I can make a joke about being gay that connects to them, then it is a huge win. Because after all, that is what comedy is about - bringing people together with laughter.