KJ Whitehead, a black genderqueer performer (who prefers the pronoun “they”), takes pride in being able to go into the “straight white men’s lair” of the Chicago comedy scene and introduce a new perspective. At a recent open-mike night, after sitting through an evening of racial jokes all made by white comics, Whitehead got onstage and turned the tables. “I don’t want you guys to feel left out,” the 25-year-old said, and performed a set making fun of white people.
“I’m clearly black and I’m clearly fabulous, and people already look at me like I’m not even human,” Whitehead says. “Why am I going to do that to someone else? Sure, their logic could be flawed or their facts are flawed, but at the end of the day they’re still human beings.”
Thu 2/16, 8 PM Playground Theater 3209 N. Halsted theplaygroundtheater.com $10, $5 for students
“Radical Comedy: Straight White Men Welcomed” 3/8-3/29: Wed 7-10 PM Second City Training Center 230 W. North secondcity.com/classes $170
