Out comedians bring humor to this year’s Philly Pride

Comedians are no strangers to the main stage at Philly Pride, and this year is no exception as Ian Harvie and Fortune Feimster are among the headline acts.

Actor and comedian Harvie, who has appeared on the TV show “Transparent” and toured the world as an opening act for Margaret Cho, is the first transman to perform at Philly Pride. 

“Wow! I didn’t know that I was,” he said. “That’s great. What took you so long? If I can be a visual aid for other trans folks out there and help others not feel alone in their identity, I’m honored and proud to be that.”

An outdoor show in daylight isn’t exactly the ideal setting for standup comedy, but both Feimster and Harvie are looking forward to taking the stage at Philly Pride or any other Pride festival that might have them.

“I’m with my people, my chosen family!” Harvie said about the appeal of performing at a Pride festival.

“I love performing at Pride because it’s a celebration of our community,” said Feimster. “It’s a time when we can all be together and be proud of who we are and how far we’ve come. The crowds are always so supportive and friendly, and they seem genuinely appreciative that we, as entertainers, are out there in the world representing them and our LGBTQ community.”

Both comedians remembered what it was like to attend their first Pride celebrations.

“My first Pride festival was in San Francisco, which is like the gay mecca of our country,” Feimster said. “I had just come out like six months before and it was so overwhelming because I didn’t expect to see so many balls, but it also made me so happy that I had finally found my people. For the first time, I was like, ‘Yes! I am gay and it’s fantastic.’”

Harvie also described his first time: “It was in Portland, Maine, and there were about 200 people, and I was scared that people would be mean to us. But something came over me when I felt the power of those collective 200 people together, and I felt like we could do anything together and take on whatever may happen to us that day. I also remember being jealous of the dykes-on-bikes section, and I wanted to be riding in it.”

For Harvie, Philly Pride will be special because he’ll be sharing the stage with a comedian he holds in high regard.

“When people ask me who I love for comics, I almost always include Fortune, who is a friend of mine, and I just love watching her perform,” he said. “She’s so gifted and inspiring. For actors, Amy Landecker is a huge inspiration and has given me so many nuggets of wisdom in the time that I’ve known her.”

With the social climate in the USA being what it is, comedians more often than not seem to be walking a fine line between entertainment and politics — which Feimster said she tries to avoid. 

“We are certainly under a microscope, especially lately. We’re living in a very divided time. If you express a political opinion, one half of the population is going to disagree with you, so you have to be OK with blowback. I think it’s why I’ve chosen to shy away from politics. I will certainly speak up for what I believe in and for those without a voice, but I pick and choose my battles. As an entertainer, I’m much more interested in bridging gaps through laughter than I am in creating more division.”

Both comedians are crisscrossing the country this summer with live performances while also gearing up for big- and small-screen projects later this year.

“This month I’m in D.C., Philly, Toronto, Lake Tahoe and San Francisco for clubs and shows,” Harvie said.

Feimster said of her plans: “I have been touring like crazy the last year and a half, and I have an hour set that will be filmed as a special. I can’t give any details of that right now, but I’m very excited to share the set with everyone because it’s very autobiographical and personal to me. I filmed a number of guest-star roles on TV shows that will be popping up over the summer. I sold two movies to Steven Spielberg’s company,  Amblin, which are currently in the rewrite phase.

“There are several other things I’m very excited about that are coming, but it’s too early to announce anything, so stay tuned.” 

 

Fortune Feimster and Ian Harvie perform June 9 at Philly Pride at Penn’s Landing. For more information, visit phillypride.org. For more on Harvie’s tour, visit ianharvie.com.

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