On the Stage
Advocacy comes in all forms. Sometimes it’s standing up for others by doing stand-up comedy. Sometimes, it’s emceeing an important event that brings communities together. Bethany Grace brings her humor, insights and ability to make tough topics relatable and give the marginalized a voice.
Bethany Grace was voted 3rd funniest person in Eugene in 2017.
On her terms: an evening with Caitlyn Jenner & Alan Neirob
Getting a chance to chat with the most famous transgender woman in the world was easy. A conversation between friends about a story we both share, it was empowering and enlightening. What was difficult? Realizing for the first time in my life someone might ask me “who” I was wearing.
USA Today Storytellers
Whatever badge of identity I might be wearing at the moment – researcher, transgender woman, parent, etc. – I have been and always will be a storyteller. Getting a chance to tell that story in front of my friends and peers from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, however, was something special. I told a story I never had spoken out loud – and I learned things about myself I didn’t even realize I knew.
Stand-Up Comedy
As a transgender woman, I’ve often noted my daily emotional options are limited to “laugh” or “cry.” As a humorist and stand-up comedienne, I’ve chosen the former. Not because it takes away the pain, but because it helps me explain it to others in a way that makes it accessible to everyone, no matter who they are.
Hosting
Hosting a meeting or conference is a lot like running a classroom. Your job is to stay out the way of the learning, keep everything running on time, and try to appreciate when people genuinely need to use the bathroom. But if you can actually leave them laughing as you do those things, that’s something special. (Unless, of course you’re hosting a morticians conference, though I can see it being valuable there, too.)