Comedian confronts controversy

by Lesley Bell

Daily Lobo

Suzanne Westenhoefer, an openly gay comedian and actress, does not shy away from talking about controversial issues in her stand-up routines.

"I'm not so much aggressive as I am boldly spoken," Westenhoefer said. "I think that my personality onstage and my personality offstage are not that different."

She has been open about her sexuality ever since she realized it herself, she said.

"I've been open from the time I understood I was gay, so that's a really long time," she said. "I've only been doing stand-up since 1990, so that's not that long."

She said being female in a society made for men can be quite a barrier, as can sexuality. But her experiences have been good overall.

She has encountered some opposition.

"Generally, if it's the kind of area that's not going to be gay-friendly, they probably only advertise to gay audiences," she said.

Larger venues are harder to hide, and she has had some Christian right picketers at a show.

"There were only like three of them, though," she said with a laugh.

She said her comedy isn't just about being gay.

"What's gay about it? If I talk about my girlfriend for 40 percent of the time, is it gay because she's a girl, or is it relationship humor?" she said. "Is it gay because I am gay? It's not like I have a different language. Everyone can relate."

Even with coming-out-of-the-closet stories, Westenhoefer points out that everyone has felt out of place or alienated at times.

"I'm a typical lesbian from working-class Pennsylvania," she said. "I'm a liberal. I'm a people person. I worry about people and their lives."

As for politics in her stand-up routines, she said sometimes it's not blatant, and sometimes it is.

"I don't have a really set style," she said. "It's me. I like to think that it's very funny."

Westenhoefer said her comedic routines aren't planned.

"I'm always trying to think of new things to say to make people laugh," she said. "For lack of a better phrase, when I'm in the zone, it's like me and the audience are just having this amazing time. It's like something that's between us. The audience and I are sharing the same experience."

She has been talking more often lately about her religion - partly, she says, in response to the new surge of power in the Christian right. Westenhoefer has been practicing Buddhism for the past 16 years.

"Recently, I've talked more about it," she said. "If I'm on stage and I'm thinking about Buddhism, then I'm going to talk about it."

She said being an inspiration to the gay community was not a major motivation for becoming a successful comic, but it feels good to be able to inspire people. It feels OK to represent the gay community, she said.

She said people who see her show will find it funny.

"You will leave the show laughing your ass off," she said. "I promise."