Laughing OUT Loud: Stephen K. Amos

I'm loving Queerty more and more each week. Several weeks ago they gave us the story about five black, gay hip hop artist we should be paying attention to (you can read about them here). Now today, I just read a story about Stephen K. Amos. Amos is a out black comedian doing this his thing on the other side of the pond. And now he venturing here in the states making 'em laugh. The article poses an excellent question - "Where are all the black gay comedians?" They acknowledge the success of Wanda Sykes and rightfully so. Ms. Sykes is the premiere black gay comedian right now. But surely there are others. There are wonderfully successful black comedians (i.e. Kat Williams, Dave Chappelle). There are some terrific gay comedians (Ellen Degeneres is no doubt the leader of the pack). But surely Amos and Sykes are not the only two black gay comedians out there. Amos posed the question wondering why we don't see successful hybrids.

Well I can tell right now that there are definitely more black gay comedians out there. They are hitting the pavement, working the clubs, and touring the country. Unfortunately, it has been very difficult for these hard working individuals to break through to mainstream success. One of my favorite comedians is Andre Kelly. I first say Kelly about a year ago on Logo. I have two words to describe Kelly. Fun - NEE! I think I found him so hilarious because the stories about his family sounded so familiar. Check him out here.

Also thanks to Logo, I was pleased to learn about Karen Williams. Her stand up special "I Need a Snack" brought tears to my eyes. She talks about her experiences as a middle aged lesbian frustrated with the stupidity she encounters in with others - like youth, dating partners, and flight attendants. As I watch her it seems like I'm sitting in a room with a friend just listening to her share her stories. Watch a clip from Karen here.

Then there is the one and only Ebony Chunky Love. I have to tell you how I found out about Mr. Keith Price. Unless you're a African-American same gender loving person, then you probably have no idea how difficult it is to find films, books, or products that speak specifically to us. So one day I was on google browsing for black gay documentaries and his dvd was suddenly on my radar. As the host of his own satellite radio show, Keith is probably the most heard of of these other black gay comedians. He can be heard on Sirius OutQ radio. Check out the trailer to his dvd Ebony Chunky Love here.

Now I know there have to be more out there. If you know of any additional, please feel free to contact me and make me aware. I'd love to know about more.