Poking Fun at Queer People in Comedy: Is it Ever Okay?

When it comes to comedy, there is certainly an art to making fun of individuals and communities. On this week’s episode of The Q Agenda, our hosts share hot takes about what’s funny and what’s not.

“If you’re punching down, you’re probably doing it wrong. My belief is the people who you are attempting to talk about or comment about: if they’re laughing with you, then you know you’re on the right track,” says Lianna Carrera on the show. “If they’re not, then maybe you think something’s funny, but you probably need to think about it a little more—about the implications of it.”

Jokes run aplenty in the queer community. From the ways we dress to the ways we talk, the ways we try to fit in and the ways we loudly stand out: it’s no shock that queer and non-queer comedians alike want to use queer people in their material.

“I’m kind of the person that doesn’t get offended at, like, half the stuff that’s said about our community, to be honest,” says Victor Ramos on the show. “[But] there’s definitely a line, and I want to make that clear.”

Intention really is the key.

If the butt of the joke is “that they’re queer,” the joke is likely neither smart nor in good taste, and should probably be avoided.

We’ve heard this set-up before: a straight man thinks a woman across the room is beautiful, so he goes up to her, flirts with her. Then he finds out she’s trans, and—bam—he is “stopped dead in his tracks.” The joke isn’t really about a specific hilarity about the trans community. It’s poking fun at the very idea of being trans. The joke is grounded in this dated perception that a “trans woman” couldn’t possibly be “attractive” to a straight man who now knows she’s trans. Yawn. Next.

Another problem is the use of derogatory language not quite suited for non-queers.

For example, if the joke is that a gay man you know can’t catch a ball, and a non-gay comic calls him a “faggot” or shock value, that might not sit well amongst some gays. Because what’s the joke here? The joke should be about how he can’t catch—even though he’s certainly ‘a catcher.’ There’s a way to focus on the funny effeminate stereotype without using derogatory words that have historically been used to purposefully make a whole community feel less-than. Try again.

“Words have power,” Enrique Sapene says on the show. “I’ve been called every [derogatory] name—as an immigrant, for being gay, all these things. I’ve never seen myself as those words. To me, I just managed to brush them off, but I understand that I’m not everybody.”

Good intention is usually supported by good long-form timing in a set.

If, for example, a straight comedian wants to poke fun at the queer community in a more provocative, possibly offensive way (because sometimes offensive things are pretty funny), perhaps throw in a joke about queer people in the beginning of the set that paints the community out in a more positive light.

Here’s an example. Early on in a stand-up set, a male comic makes a joke about having trouble pleasing his wife in bed and that’s why it’s super important that he has lesbian friends in his life. This is both funny and positive. Of course lesbians would know a lot about female pleasure, and of course he would want to have lesbian friends. It’s a joke that also uplifts. Then, later in the set, if he wants to throw in a less-polite joke about, say, a two-mom home having a less-than-average family income, the audience knows from the first bit that this comic is an ally and understands the nuance about the community he’s poking fun at.

“I think everyone should be fair game in comedy,” says Juliana Joel. “I’ve been to many comedy shows, and I love them, where I will literally sit in the front row and there will be a set done on trans people. Most of the time, I’ve never been offended. […] It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.”

Comedy is about the art of failing. A comedian should approach the stage and feel empowered to try new material, to see if that material works. Sometimes, they go too far. Sometimes, they don’t go far enough. It’s part of the craft.

“Comedians need room to move and to work and to feel safe and to say stupid shit and to figure it out and test the material and be forgiven and come back. It is an artform, like anything else,” Carrera goes on to say. “We don’t expect Picasso to throw up a perfect picture the first try.”

When we laugh at things, we normalize them. So, if anything, we want comedians to make fun of the queer community. In this way, it welcomes queer people and queer ideas to the table, making us part of the narrative. I think comedians just need to be thoughtful and intentional. Where does the root of the joke come from? Where is the joke placed in the set?

Is it Funny or it’s Too Sensored? | The Q Agenda

There are no clear-cut boundaries when it comes to making art, because art is vulnerable and honest. And sometimes honesty doesn’t feel good. But comedy is about honesty, right?

So, yes, it’s okay to poke fun at queer people in comedy (and we should!) but the joke must sit on a foundation of respect and understanding.

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On this episode of The Q Agenda, we are joined by two creatives who use their own lives as source material on stage and online. Comedian and actress Devon Drew was almost a pop star and pivoted to comedy instead. Actor and influencer Tarek Ali grew up with the social media boom and used it to find his own voice as an entertainer. Don’t miss out!

Catch the full episode of this week’s The Q Agenda on the LATV+ App!