Hannah Gadsby’s Stand-Up Special ‘Nanette’ Isn’t Joking For Your Benefit

Even before I sat down to watch Hannah Gadsby’s June 2018 Netflix comedy special, “Nanette”, I knew it would make me feel uncomfortable. Self-deprecating humor hits a little to close to home. In fact, I had it in the queue for a week before I worked up the nerve to watch it. After a few of my queer friends implored me to give it a go, I finally decided to check out this hyped-up comedy special. I’m so glad I did. Marginalization Isn’t Funny Now, I’m not a gay, white woman; so I don’t know the struggles of that specific community. I’m bi, but not butch. I’ve been married to a man for going on twenty years — meaning, I present as straight and femme. Regardless, as a fat, biracial, bisexual woman; I experience marginalization on a regular basis. In a world where tensions are high between various communities, Hannah Gadsby has decided she isn’t here to absolve her audiences of the things that make them uncomfortable anymore. Instead, the comic is working on her own well-being and telling the whole story–not just the funny parts.

Keep Your Tension In her 2018 Netflix special, Gadsby starts off by making fun of herself: a lesbian marginalized by society inside and outside of the LGBT community. Her stories of growing up in a small, very homophobic Tasmanian town are told with flair, funny punchlines and great timing. It isn’t until about 20 minutes in that the tone shifts. These stories, incidents of bigotry, assault and self-hate feel familiar to those of us who live life on th…