Judy Gold
“Representation is everything,” Judy Gold tells GO. And she would know. The out comedian with a mile-long resume—standup specials on HBO, Comedy Central and LOGO, roles on everything from Better Things to Girls5eva to the upcoming FLOTUS and City on a Hill, two hit off-Broadway shows, and a best- selling book—has been joking about lesbian parenting since hitting the scene in the mid-90s. “Great comedians speak truth to power, and don’t shy away from who they are, which gives people a palatable way to see the world through another person’s eyes,” she says. Representation, Gold is aware, also has an effect on those who aren’t part of marginalized communities. “I remember a military guy coming up to me after a show in Houston, Texas, to tell me he now understood why gay people wanted to have the right to get married,” she recalls. But Gold, who hosts the podcast Kill Me Now and is one of the subjects of FX’s women-in-comedy documentary Hysterical, especially wants to reach those like her, and show them the sky’s the limit. “I want LGBTQ+ kids to know that YES, you can have it all: a relationship, a family, and a career without compromising exactly who you are,” she says. “I want women to see that we can be loud, brash, opinionated, funny, and still be feminine.” When asked how she deals with setbacks and adversity, Gold’s answer is simple: “I push through it. I continue to create. I take inventory of what is really important. And I never give up.” –LE
