COURIER LIFE, JULY 16-22, 2021 23
OUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE BOROUGH OF KINGS
BY REYNA IWAMOTO
New York City’s live LGBTQ comedy
show Kweendom is back, and now,
the production is going from stage to
page, as the Brooklyn native behind
the show Bobby Hankinson celebrates
the release of a collection of essays featuring
LGBTQ comedians.
Described in its foreword as “Illuminating
and remarkable and heartening”
by award-winning actor Alan
Cumming, “Welcome to Kweendom:
LGBTQ Comedians Make Pride Personal
with Stories of Love, Loss, Sex,
and Everything Under the Rainbow”
features some of NYC’s very own queer
comedians and storytellers.
“I did not want it to be my book, but a
refl ection of the community,” said Hankinson,
who was approached by publisher
Wheatfi eld Press at the end of
2018, thanks to his comedy show.
Hankinson then reached out to past
performers of Kweendom with the openended
ask for them to write what they
wanted. Although he expected many
comedic tales and anecdotes, what he
received was a mix of “vulnerable and
surprising” stories.
“It was amazing to get such a diversity
of essays: some funny, some sad,
some wild, some sexy,” Hankinson said.
“Comedians tend to have a darkness
in them, so folks were really generous
with their stories — sharing personal
and transformative stories.”
Tiling the pieces together, Hankinson
decided to group the essays based
on the symbolism of each stripe of the
pride fl ag — Life, Healing, Sunlight, Nature,
Harmony, and Spirit.
From stories about coming out, fi nding
love, awkward adolescent moments
and unfi ltered dispatches from a Berlin
COMEDY
sex club, “Welcome to Kweendom” features
essays that Hankinson describes
as “chicken soup for the queer soul.”
“I hope it provides a lens
for people to see themselves,
their experiences
and feel like they
are not alone,” Hankinson
told Brooklyn Paper.
“This is a chance
for folks to understand
the community and the
diversity in it.”
In keeping with Kweendom
tradition of supporting
an LGBTQ group, proceeds
from the book will be
go to Immigration Equality,
the nation’s leading LGBTQ
and HIV-positive immigrant
rights organization.
While he is adamant about keeping
the comedy show free, Hankinson said
that they pass the bucket to various
charity organizations, matching the
fi rst $50 in donations. Since the show
was established in 2015, it has raised
thousands of dollars for various LGBTQ
organizations.
“Kweendom is in service to the community,”
he said.
Launched in 2015,
CH
“W
Hankinson founded
the monthly comedy
show to display the diverse
talent within the queer community.
Drawn to performing himself, he
began doing open mics in 2014, but was
disappointed by the lack of representation
in the queer comedy community.
“As a queer person doing shows
with LGBT performers, I was hearing
the same hacky gay jokes,” Hankinson
said. “There was a number of LGBTQ
shows in the city, but it was very often
stockpiled with cool straight girls or all
cisgender, white, gay men.”
Wanting to create a show that featured
all queer and diverse members
of the community, Hankinson started
Kweendom — and more than 100 performers
have taken the stage since.
With in-person shows coming back,
along with the release of his book,
Hankinson described this time as an
exhausting, but exciting moment for
him and for the community.
“The past year has been hard, but
now there is so much to celebrate,” he
said.
A funny story
‘Kweendom’ comics bring LGBTQ
tales from stage to page in new book
“Welcome to Kweendom: LGBTQ
Comedians Make Pride Personal
with Stories of Love, Loss, Sex, and
Everything Under the Rainbow” is
available now on Amazon, bookshop.
org, from Wheatfi eld Press and from
select retailers.
Kweendom comedy shows are held at
Pete’s Candy Store in Williamsburg and
the next show is scheduled for Friday,
July 16.
‘CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE QUEER SOUL’: Kweendom creator, comic and
Welcome to Kweendom” editor Bobby Hankinson. Photo by Bobby Hankinson
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