COMMUNITY RESPONDS TO CONTROVERSIAL COMEDIAN
On Mar. 7, Femme Folks Fest (FFF) opened its seventh annual event with Just a Joke, a comedy shows in response to a controversial comedian scheduled to perform in Kitchener the same night.
Comedian Ben Bankas was set to perform at Elements Nightclub. His two shows, which were allegedly sold out, were cancelled by the venue the week prior to his visit.
Bankas’ shows garnered attention from residents and advocates, who were calling for his show to get cancelled. Queer Youth Defense had also planned a counter demonstration outside the event’s venue.
Lisa O’Connell, artistic director of Pat the Dog Theatre Creation, which hosts FFF, said that when they heard about Bankas’ scheduled shows, they immediately pivoted to add in Just a Joke.
The show featured KW Comedy All Stars, a group of 14 local comedians with Amy Neufeld as the show’s host. Together, these comics came together for a night to combat hate with art.
FFF is an annual event that celebrates music, theatre and comedy by women-identified, femme-presenting and non-binary artists.
Bankas has received mass criticism since a comedy routine he performed in January in which he made jokes about Renee Good, who was shot and killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
“We found it particularly egregious, the jokes that he was making about Renee Good. This is a queer, young mother who had just dropped off one of her children at school and was shot in the face,” O’Connell said.
“There’s nothing funny about that. That’s a tragedy of absolutely the worst,” she said.
Bankas’ past shows have also included commentary on topics such as residential schools, immigration, diversity, and the LGBTQ+ community, as well as events taking place in Iran.
Currently on tour, Bankas’ shows in Kitchener are two of many shows that have been cancelled.
“The fact that [Bankas] was touring and felt safe to come to our community, felt that he had a constituency here, sold out, or at least, alleges that he sold out two shows, and it was on, literally, the eve of International Women’s Day—we had to answer it,” O’Connell said.
“The issue here of this kind of humour is systemic, and so we wanted to offer a solution,” O’Connell said.
While outrage comics have been gaining popularity, O’Connell said that Just a Joke was a way for the community to experience comedy in a more inclusive way.
“We have tons of literature and factual evidence research that anytime that you marginalize any community, anytime you allow any kind of victimization, albeit even in the form of a joke, that it allows individuals to take a look at someone as less than the full scope of their human dignity,” O’Connell said.
Emme Kennedy, one of the 14 local comedians who performed at Just a Joke, prepared her six-minute set around the controversy surrounding Bankas.
At the beginning of her set, Kennedy joked that she was quite similar to Bankas.
“We both could be accused of being comedians. We both are Canadian-Americans and we both are committing the worst sin of society, which is we’re both failed men. This is an example of a joke that I don’t mean, but saying the dark thought out loud kind of helps excise it from people’s minds,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy is a queer and trans comedian who recently moved to the Waterloo Region from America. For Kennedy, Just a Joke not only provides an opportunity to face controversy head-on, but also creates an inclusive space for women and trans comedians and their audience.
“A lot of the places that are available to do open mics are not always the most supportive places for women comedians, let alone trans comedians,” Kennedy said.
For Kennedy, open mics are an opportunity to foster constructive dialogue and challenge harmful stereotypes.
“I believe in my comedy and kind of bringing a voice and perspective that is not really heard out to an audience and doing it in a way that is accessible through it being funny and playful,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said having open mic spaces that are inclusive and supportive are important for representation.
“There’s a big cultural divide around who deserves what autonomy to their bodies and their hearts and minds and who doesn’t. I don’t think this stuff is going away. I don’t think Ben Bankas is going away. And I think this moment requires us to keep responding with shows like this,” Kennedy said.
“I just ask anyone who wants to care about humanity to stick up for those who are speaking out right now, because I think that’s important,” Kennedy said.
Amy Neufeld is a contributor for The Community Edition.
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