Issues related to the trans and gender nonconforming community are being discussed locally and nationally as well-known public figures have shared their transition process. As part of the conversation, this year’s UNC Charlotte OUTSpoken Speaker series is bringing to campus Ian Harvie, a transgender comedian who has appeared in the award-winning program “Transparent” shown on Amazon. His free, public talk will be at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 27, in the Cone University Center McKnight Hall.
According to his website, Harvie unveiled his first-ever live standup comedy special in spring 2014. In it, he poked fun at topics “from top surgery, to his fear of public restrooms, to his active sex life.” He actually began his standup career in 2002 at a small club in Portland, Maine, which was his hometown. After performing in Boston, Harvie eventually moved to Los Angeles in June 2006. By that November, he began touring with comedienne Margaret Cho, who later cast Harvie as a permanent member of her off-Broadway burlesque comedy revue “The Sensuous Woman.” In 2009, he began his solo headlining career with his one-man show “Parts Sold Separately.”
The OUTSpoken Speaker Series is an annual forum that focuses on LGBTQ identities; this year marks the ninth installment of the series. Previous speakers have included Yvette Flunder, a nationally known faith leader and social activist, and spoken-word poet and LGBTQ activist Staceyann Chin.
The UNC Charlotte Chancellor's Diversity Challenge Fund and the University’s Women's and Gender Studies program, Counseling Center and Multicultural Resource Center are cosponsoring this event in conjunction with the Alliance for Full Acceptance and TownePlace Suites Marriott.