Comedian Ren Q. Dawe believes, “Most people don’t hate trans people;
they just haven’t met us.”
JENNY BLOCK | Contributing Writer
JennyEBlock@icloud.com
Comedian and trans activist Ren Q. Dawe is just here to pee — well, that and to make people laugh in all 50 states. Dawe is making history with the Here to Pee Tour, booked in venues across all 50 states. It is now officially the first-ever all-trans comedy lineup to do that.
With Dawe at the helm, the Here to Pee Tour is a comedy protest that uses humor to challenge anti-trans laws while raising funds for local LGBTQ+ nonprofits. The tour is selling out venues nationwide and will be here in Dallas on Nov. 16 at Dallas Comedy Club.
“Every stop on this tour highlights local LGBTQ+ organizations doing lifesaving work,” Dawe said. “The goal is to remind people that activism doesn’t only happen in courtrooms. It happens in bars, comedy clubs and living rooms where people find community.
“I encourage everyone who reads this to go be just a little more active in your own community,” he added. “We can make really big changes by stepping up in small ways.”
We recently caught up with Dawe to find out more about how this groundbreaking tour came to be and what its existence and success is coming to mean.
Jenny Block for Dallas Voice: What gave you the idea for this tour? Ren Q. Dawe: After performing in 40 cities last year, I kept meeting trans folks who said the same thing: “We don’t get to laugh like this very often.” After the murder of Nex Benedict — a trans Oklahoman who was attacked in a public restroom — and my own scary bathroom confrontation, I had a spiteful but silly idea to perform in every state with a bathroom ban. With the majority of states at the time having had proposed anti trans legislation (it was 37, it is now 49) I said, “Well if we have to do about 40 states we might as well do all 50.” And that joke soon turned into a reality.
Why is this tour so vital to have right now? We’re watching a coordinated rollback of rights nationwide. Bathroom bans, healthcare bans, even bans on saying the word “trans.” It’s absurd, and absurdity is comedy’s territory.
Laughter is a survival tool. This tour gives trans people visibility in places where we’ve been erased and funnels money back into local organizations doing life-saving work.
What do you think it would take to change the hearts and minds of people fighting against trans rights? Real relationships. Most people don’t hate trans people; they just haven’t met us. Humor lowers the temperature and helps people listen. You can’t hate someone you’re laughing with. I’m not trying to convert anyone, just to help them see our shared humanity.
What do you hope audiences will get out of this tour? I hope they leave lighter. I hope queer people feel celebrated. I hope people that have never knowingly met a trans person before feel welcomed. At a minimum, I hope folks walk away having had a few more giggles than when they arrived.
Do you believe political change or social healing can come through comedy? Absolutely. I know first-hand it has. The first time I ever performed in Texas, actually, I had a really lovely dude come up to me after and tell me how much he enjoyed the show, that he hadn’t ever thought of things that way and that he might have to reconsider some of his political beliefs. That was astounding to me — 30 minutes of laughing together, and someone can feel that changed? What an immense power.
What’s the one thing you wish people understood about being trans? That we’re not a debate. We’re just people trying to live, laugh, love and pee in peace. Transness isn’t new or radical; it’s human. It’s also a political distraction being used to separate us from our neighbors and keep us distant, because who knows how powerful we could be as a community if we all actually agreed on something?
How do you handle all of the hate and fear that’s out there right now? Comedy is by no means neurosurgery. But for me, it’s leaning on humor, on gratitude, on my friends, partner and loved ones. Some days are heavy, but I don’t take all the hate personally anymore; it’s recycled ignorance. And I’m so grateful to be right here, right now, to do what I can for my community in this moment.
Anything else you’d like to share about the tour or trans activism? What makes Here to Pee special is that it’s collective. We’ve had over a hundred trans and queer performers; we’ve met hundreds of activists and allies joining forces to help protect our community.
This tour turned into something bigger than any one of us, and that’s been magical.
Find more information at HereToPee.com. Tickets are available online at PreKindle.com.