Highline’s Q-center in collaboration with the Center for Cultural & Inclusive Excellence (CCIE), the Center for Leadership and Service (CLS), and the Public Speaking Center (PSC), helped organize a queer forward comedy show in Building 7. The event, which featured comics Juno Men, Ricci Armani, and Jenna Nobs, was held this past Tuesday, April 7, and lasted from noon to 2 p.m.

Amy Rider King, a communications instructor here at Highline and one of the organizers of the event, explained how the event came to be. She said, “This event grew out of a shared commitment to student voice, belonging, and leadership across our collaborating centers.

The PSC supports students in expressing what matters to them, while the CCIE, the CLS, and the Q-Center center support inclusion, leadership, and the affirmation of queer and trans lives. The Laughter Lab meets at the intersection of these values.”

A question was broached to the audience by Armani, a question of how many queer people were in attendance – although the crowd remained somewhat silent, if one was to look around, there were more hands raised than not.

The turnout for the event was quite good and the crowd was a lively one – giving the comedians wonderful reactions to their sets and creating a very welcoming environment that felt comfortable and safe. Although many students had to leave throughout the show due to classes, the theater retained more than a handful of people until the very end.

Once the expected bubble of awkwardness burst and people started to interact more with the comedians – shouting out answers to questions, cheering, and laughing – you could tell people felt safe there, welcomed there. Which accomplished the goal of the event. 

“At its core, this event was also about creating space for joy, connection, and understanding. We believe storytelling and art can bring people together, especially across difference,” said King.

One of the students in attendance was Ailin Caracoza. She commented on the energy of the show: “The ambiance was great, many students showed up and laughter was heard from all around the room.”

Towards the end of the event, there was an allotted time for some Q&A with the comedians and the audience where they shared their tips for public speaking. They also shared a bit more about their lives outside of their show, how they got into comedy, and how they use comedy to process their lives and experiences.

When asked why they decided to come speak in front of college students, the resounding answer was to not only get some personal experience speaking in front of different crowds, but to also help bring some joy into students’ lives and to help them feel seen and supported.

“I’d never been to a comedy show so this was a cool experience to have. I hope we are able to see more of this at Highline in the future!” said Caracoza.

There are many more wonderful events like this on the horizon for Highline College, so make sure to keep your eyes on the ThunderWord or follow Highline College on Instagram, Facebook, or take a peek at the events calendar.