Where did the idea for Gay Mean Girls come from?

“My own high school experiences where I came out in grade nine kind of, [with the] wrong sexual orientation and then dealing with racism in the gay community. And then also the idea came from my experiences [at Toronto Metropolitan University] at the time and my political awakening with that as well.” – Heyishi Zhang

The first season of Gay Mean Girls follows Lucy Ching, a prom committee member seeking to diversify the royalty race at their school by making it queer. The story involves Lucy’s coming out, the intersectional issues of race and queerness, and the emotional rollercoaster of high school.

Although set in the same universe and at the same high school, the second season takes on a slightly different frame.

“I came up with the second season having had my own experiences with community organising and activist spaces and seeing all of the corruption and open secrets that took place within it; I think I wanted to tell the story because it seemed like not a lot of people were willing to talk about these things. […] The thesis of this season is trauma, but make it fun.” – Heyishi Zhang

Gay Mean Girls season 2 follows student journalist Savannah Lin who infiltrates a queer POC “safe space” to bolster her chances at a scholarship. What starts as wholesome curiosity spirals into a traumatic masterclass in toxic power dynamics and the complicated reality of activist havens. Coming from first-hand experience, Heyishi Zhang brings a lot of herself into these stories and creates an incredibly layered, raw and honest portrayal of intersectional issues within the queer community.

“There’s a degree to which I feel like I’m playing a game with the audience regarding what the show reveals about me. [But I also] think the show is a way for me to process my own experiences and organise my memories. My intention for making this show is that I hope it helps other people do the same. The characters are written in a certain way, but I feel like the way that Jenna [Phoa] portrays [Savannah], she made her own character. So, I would say that it’s more collaborative. I think that writing it felt like it was very close to who I am. But in the directing, I had let that go and let the actors take it where they wanted it to go.” – Heyishi Zhang

It’s refreshing to see a queer creator taking on the status quo. No one wants to see a straight white man write a script about the unbalanced power dynamics within the queer community because it’s not coming from the right fountain. However, that doesn’t make the issue any less relevant or in need of attention. Heyishi Zhang brings these issues to the forefront while also creating something fun, vibrant, and sarcastic that’s a joy to watch.

Catch up on Gay Mean Girls on KindaTV on YouTube; Season two premieres February 24th.

The post Viral Sensation “Gay Mean Girls” is Back! appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Music, burlesque, drag, theatre – and, of course, comedy. If Toronto is Canada’s main hub for what’s happening right now moment to moment in standup, sketch and improv – then Pride is bursting at the seams with shows and events tailored to showcase the who’s-who of veteran Queer comedians and outspoken up-and-comers.

Queer comedy has long been an unsung component and a vibrant subsect of Toronto’s multi-facted comedy scene, albeit a drastically underexposed one until more recently. With Canada’s major festivals and independent comedy clubs finally playing host to a more diversified array of performers in the past few years, Toronto’s comedy circuit has answered in kind by playing host to more and more independent shows putting LGBTQ comics in the spotlight. This year’s programming at Pride showcases a wide range of the comics we’ve seen and heard from lately – and a few you maybe haven’t yet, but definitely should.

Veteran LGBTQ comics who’ve long dominated the landscape (and they’d probably laugh at the sentiment) are making the rounds again. Canadian television mainstay Elvira Kurt (widely known for her Comedy Network series Popcultured, her quiz show Spin Off  and her regular appearances on CBC Radio’s ‘Q’) – returns to the cult Queer comedy hotspot ‘Buddies in Bad Times Theatre’ with her solo showcase “Fearless/Funny AF”, which features a Pride festival lineup of upcoming and well-on-their way opening acts. Andrew Johnston, who wider Canadian TV audiences will probably know best for his stint as a main cast member/commentator on Much Music’s long running Video on Trial, and Toronto comedy crowds will know from his weekly appearances as a main member of the even longer running comedy troupe Laugh Sabbath, which features every Thursday at Toronto’s Comedy Bar. This year Andrew returns to Pride to host the annual gala show of “Bitch Salad”, featuring the foremost female comics dominating the stage in Canadian comedy. Another pride fixture Dawn Whitwell brings her hit independent showcase “Dawn Patrol” to the Buddies stage during Pride.

And the LGBTQ shows that make up the festivities this June run the gambit of a multitude of formats and featured players on stages across the city. Tinder Tales, the cult hit storytelling show (which has since spawned spin-off sister shows in Vancouver and Montreal, and has toured a handful of other Canadian cities) features a Pride lineup June 22nd at the Gladstone Hotel. Tinder Tales has also previously played host to a monthly showcase in the Church-Wellesley village’s own Glad Day bookstore, featuring a lineup of Queer comics, storytellers, and some of the city’s most loved (and loud and proud) drag and burlesque performers. Comedians Chantel Marostica and Adrienne Fish have played a major role in expanding the city’s Queer comedy presence recently, with their weekly standup series “Church Street Comedy”, at Pegasus on Church. And comedy/podcast duo Jess Beaulieu and Natalie Norman have been providing a stage and a space for Queer identifying comics and female performers since their own weekly show “Crimson Wave Comedy” originally debuted at the Comedy Bar.

That’s just to name a few names, and sum up just a few of the shows of note hitting the stage at Pride this year. There’s more comedy happening at this year’s pride than perhaps ever before. From the regular haunts, to hidden gems of shows happening at glorious holes in the wall (yes, I just made a glory hole pun – this is comedy, this is pride, I’m allowed)

If Pride is about shedding our inhibitions and celebrating, as one city (and it is), then we can’t think of a better way to do that then laughing. Besides, there’s nothing sexier than a good sense of humour.

Pride 2018 promises loud and proud punchlines delivered all over the city, at a venue near you.

And for a wider offering of all of this year’s PRIDE events happening in Toronto, don’t forget to hit up Pride Toronto

We’ll see you out there!

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