Netflix is about to showcase these genderqueer comics, thanks to Hannah Gadsby

Netflix has announced details about the next Hannah Gadsby [pictured above] special. Entitled Gender Agenda, it will feature Gadsby and a whole raft of other queer comics. It hits the streamer on March 5.

A trailer dropped yesterday. Unsurprisingly, from the comments, it’s triggered some Dave Chappelle fans (“If this is the price we have to pay for Netflix to release Chappelle’s specials I guess it is what it is.”)

The performances were recorded at the historic Alexandra Palace in London.

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“This evening we’ve got a whole bunch of fabulous and diverse genderqueer performers. And I am incredibly excited to bring this to you,” says Gadsby at the start of the show.

The performers include Jes Tom, Alok, Asha Ward, Chloe Petts, DeAnne Smith, Krishna Istha and Mx. Dahlia Belle.

Variety gives a run down on each performer. Alok is one of the better-known names. Besides having a huge social media platform, they headlined the NYC Comedy Festival in 2021, and have appeared in unscripted series such as Netflix‘s Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness.

Mx. Dahlia Belle is the founder of the Portland Queer Comedy Festival. She gained attention for writing an open letter to Dave Chappelle in The Guardian, taking him to task over his jokes about trans people.

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A post shared by Mx. Dahlia Belle (a.k.a. Aziza Holiday) (@mx.dahliabelle)

“You still have to be a part of the conversation”

Gadsby shot to worldwide attention with their 2018 Netflix show, Nanette. In 2022, Gadsby signed a multi-title deal with Netflix in 2022. At the time, they said they wanted to highlight genderqueer voices on the platform, following the controversy around the Dave Chappelle specials it hosts.

Gadsby said at the time, “In a notoriously transphobic industry, I am looking to broaden the scope of opportunities for genderqueer performers from around the globe, as well as expand the diversity of offerings to audiences on one of comedy’s biggest platforms. Coupled with a mentorship initiative for these up-and-coming comics, the program aims to foster the professional development of a demographic that is still struggling to have their voices heard. Recorded in a single run in the UK in 2023, this will be a chance for the world to hear these voices for the first, but definitely not the last, time.”

In the trailer for Gender Agenda, Gadsby jokes, “The last time Netflix brought this many trans people together, it was for a protest. So, progress!”

Gadsby spoke to Variety about continuing to work with Netflix.

“If you want to change the conversation, you still have to be a part of the conversation. So that was really what informed me to keep trying with this relationship,” they said.

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A post shared by ALOK (@alokvmenon)

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Netflix is about to showcase these genderqueer comics, thanks to Hannah Gadsby

Netflix is about to showcase these genderqueer comics, thanks to Hannah Gadsby