Catching Up With Comedian Cameron Esposito

We caught up with Cameron about her new stand-up special about sexual assault and her podcast, Queery.

Comedian Cameron Esposito is not only hilarious, but uses her voice and platform to raise the voices of others, making her a favorite of Smart Girls. We took some time to chat with Cameron about a couple of important projects she’s working on this year.

Cameron’s latest special uses stand-up comedy to start a conversation with audiences about the difficult topic of sexual assault.

“Stand-up, to me, is the perfect vehicle for almost anything, because it should be enjoyable — even though there are some raw moments in this, and there’s honesty. When I actually talk about what happened to me, there’s about a minute or two where you’re just probably not going to laugh, because that’s how it’s designed. There’s also 58 other minutes where you’re going to laugh really hard.”

Though the #MeToo movement has been inspiring, Cameron has noticed a trend in how we view these stories — often more focused on the perpetrators than the survivors.

“It doesn’t seem to me that there has been a survivor focus on any of this — where survivors have been center, where these stories have been met with an ‘I’m sorry’ and an open understanding and a desire for support.”

Cameron hopes her new special helps to shift that focus. In her latest special, Cameron talks about her own sexual assault and lack of education about sexual assault, which led to her not even realizing she had been a victim until years later.

“It was not something I always knew I wanted to talk about, because it’s not something that I even processed as on the spectrum of assault because of the lack of information I had growing up about my own agency over my own body,” said Cameron.

This is where tackling the issue in a unique way, like through stand-up comedy, can show audiences new perspectives and open up a dialogue about our culture.

“It really is just in starting to talk about how we don’t have good information about our own bodies, about our own health, about our own agency and the way in which that creates this culture where…you know, this is more than just eight men behaving badly and they know that they have and they’re covering it up. This is a whole culture which teaches all of us that our needs are not valuable. And especially for women, people that are cultured female, we are taught to think about ourselves last and to have shame about our bodies, and that perpetuates a cycle that’s been happening forever for all of human history.”

“When I look at why I do my job or why I think my job is important, it’s because you can get folks thinking, but also get them relaxed and have it be enjoyable. It’s not a tough pill to swallow. It’s a truth that’s maybe tough to hear. But the delivery method is intended to be inclusive and intended to be a positive experience.” — Cameron Esposito

June is Pride Month, which is a month dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. Cameron hosts a podcast called Queery, which “explores individual stories of identity, personality and the shifting cultural matrix around gender, sexuality and civil rights.” On each episode of the podcast, Cameron has in-depth conversations with members of the LGBTQ+ community — people like author Roxane Gay.

“I loved talking to Roxane Gay about the experience of being othered in our professions and specifically a conversation about how affirmative action is framed as being charity and not as earned work that makes everybody more interesting and expands a knowledge base. So I loved that conversation. Roxane also made me feel like we were coming from a place of commonality as people who work in different industries. So that was really cool.”

These discussions and guests bring unique perspectives to the audience and the opportunity to gain new insight from people they wouldn’t meet otherwise.

“We had Eva Sweeney on and she brought her aid who helps her with speech because she’s nonverbal. That was something that I was really excited to try to pull off on the podcast…it was very cool to be able to offer that to listeners — viewpoints that maybe it would be harder for folks to access.”

This week’s episode is one that young listeners might especially be interested in. Cameron spoke with nonbinary teen activist Larkin Christie, who wrote in asking to be on the podcast after not hearing anyone their age as a guest. Cameron hopes discussions with a wide range of ages will show younger listeners that they aren’t alone.

“The queer community is a family that extends through generations,” says Cameron. “We have a history. And so, especially for young queer people, you are a part of something that has existed for a very long time. We’ve been here forever and you’re family to me. I know that it can feel very isolating to be young and coming out or just realizing who you are, but you’re not alone and you have queer cousins and parents and grandparents that are still here for you.”

Whether it’s through her stand-up special or conversations with guests on Queery, it’s clear that Cameron is dedicated to making a difference in the world. Rape Jokes was independently produced by Cameron, with many of her friends donating time and services to keep production costs low. This allows proceeds from the special to support Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. You can stream the special for free on her website, but with a $10 (or more!) donation, you can download the special and support a good cause.

And if the title of the special (Rape Jokes) is off-putting, Cameron says the content of the special is for anyone — though each individual should decide for themselves if they feel able to watch. “It’s not deliberately graphic or purposefully trying to jog any memories for you personally,” said Cameron. “It’s just trying to talk about something that’s a tough topic and make it funny.”

You can check out the special on Cameron’s website. All proceeds will go to RAINN. Subscribe to Queery wherever you get your podcasts. And follow Cameron on Twitter to keep up with all of the amazing work she’s doing.