Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration

I love the diversity in this special, with cast members of all (most?) letters within the LGBTQ+ acronym, and racial diversity which was reflected in their pieces. However, as it can be expected from such a diverse show where each comedian could only do a small bit: some jokes are hilarious, some are bad, most of them are mediocre. Taste is diverse, and it is not to be expected that one can enjoy every inch of the show fully, because of its premise. All things considered, I was enjoyed for the duration of the show, so that's a good thing.

There are some really good comedians in this mix, but they barely had time for a set. I feel it would have been better if they had more time for a more developed set. Felt like a series of one liners, many which weren't that great. Or hits against Chapelle which is petty since he has apologized and tried explain his views but heaven forbid someone else has a different view and difficulty understanding something different from what their norm. As for Bill Burr, he does hate comedy is is against any minority group, so again, why waste your breath. There were some comedians that used their time with excellence. I did finish the show, smiled at some parts laughed at others.

Overall I enjoyed it. There was a couple not so funny people. The main thing I wanted to say here is why did they keep saying it was the first show of its kind when in 1993 and 94 there was Out There 1 and 2!

I love a lot of the comedians and think the special was funny. However, I didn't like the dragging of Dave Chappelle. Several comedians said he want to take down the rainbow community.... Flat out lies. He has certainly shared his experiences and have opinions, but nothing he said was to punch down the rainbow community. #provemewrong. I am an ultimate ally, but No one talks about how I feel about being labeled a Cis Woman. I didn't approve that and I don't like it! I am a woman period. Feel free to label yourself but it's not fair to give women a label I don't want. I label myself as a natural woman, and somehow that's criticized.

Now don't get me wrong, there are a few good comedians/sets. Going in I knew Margaret Cho, Trixie & bob, Matteo, Wanda etc weren't going to disappoint. However those 15 mins aside, this didn't feel like a comedy special given all the ghastly LA posturing. Every other act decided to take time to give a gratuitous speech simply saying trans rights are under attack and the world is terrible so they can get an audience cheer (ironic given despite this being a lgbtq+ special, there isn't a single trans comedian in sight), throw in the word 'queer' a few times then do lackluster sets with some regressive viewpoints social media has told them they should be parroting, and you have the rest of the hour plus this takes to get through. A comedy special on the back of not being straight, or not being both strictly cis and straight in Eddie's case, needs actual comedy. For instance Eddie talked about doing drugs and defecating themself and Mae explained 'gender' to us using Beauty and the Beast before saying how horrible Dave Chapelle and Ricky Gervais are and how she hopes she explained it to them and they all kiss eachother. Is the idea of straight men going gay meant to be funny? I think we all would have been a lot better off keeping this to half the comedians, and doubling their time. My ultimate advice would be to just watch a margaret cho special and call it a day.

When your criteria is based on sexual preference first and talent second, this is the result. This was the moment to showcase relevent, brilliant comics that are also LGBTQ+, not LGBTQ+ mediocre-at-best comics. So many comics were missing that could have made this nothing short of genius.

The material was just so weak, I found myself cringing almost all the way through. There were a couple of laughs here and there, but otherwise it was just a painful experience. Would not recommend.