Pride 2024 - Featured Stories - Funny Ha-Ha, Funny Queer, Funny Here to Stay

Comedian Charm Baxter tells jokes on stage at Dry Heat Comedy Club. Photo by Rusty Rutherford.

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In 2024, comedy has never been more popular. While some famous stand-up comedians have notoriously pivoted into homophobia and transphobia in the name of edginess, in Albuquerque, at least, the comedy scene is alive, well, and beautifully queer. 

For one thing, the 505 is one of the only cities in America with a queer-owned independent comedy club. Sarah Kennedy, an Albuquerque comedy veteran with over 15 years of experience telling jokes on national and local stages, opened Dry Heat Comedy Club in 2021 with her wife (yours truly), and the club has been crushing it ever since.

"Albuquerque has always been a place where people are allowed to live their lives and be who they are authentically," says Kennedy. "Comedy thrives when that's the case, so it's no surprise that queer comedy is also thriving. When folks are allowed to be themselves - when they're their funniest."

It’s true—these days, Albuquerque boasts a healthy (and hilarious) queer contingent of new up-and-comers. One of these newbies is Sarina Ochoa, who started comedy just two months before taking home second place (out of 64!) in the annual One Liner Madness competition. 

"I'm so lucky to have started comedy here because everyone is incredibly supportive," says Ochoa. "There seem to be almost as many women (and nonbinary folks) in the scene as men, of which many are queer as well."

One of the most prominent Queer comedians in the scene right now is Carla Vasquez, who has been doing stand-up for nearly five years. Vasquez regularly jokes about her queerness on stage, "Comedy has helped me explore my own identity." She's not the only one who mines her experience as a Queer person for material on stage, though.

Alex Slim and June Opal are two trans women who regularly get on stage in Burque. Slim has been doing stand-up and improv in the scene for several years and traveling. She took classes from the Groundlings in LA, who famously influenced many queer icons, like Paul Reubens, Cassandra Peterson, and countless others. On the other hand, Opal, who has long been a musician, has only rounded the corner of her first year doing stand-up, but she's well-liked on and off-stage all over Albuquerque.

"That is the beauty of being queer—you have already done a lot of the work to be true to yourself," Opal says. "My identity has influenced my comedy by giving me a unique perspective on the world, influenced by my own experiences."

She isn't the only convert from music to comedy—Alex Bachicha, or "Leka" as they call themself on comedy stages, got into stand-up after being the vocalist/lyricist in Wounded Silence (where they still belt it out everywhere from Launchpad to Echoes and more). They're a force to be reckoned with whenever they're on stage.

But Queer comedians are not just coming from other art forms - they're moving into town, too. Charm Baxter is a recent transplant from Florida. While she's been doing stand-up for a while now, she's new to the Albuquerque scene, tearing up every stage she's on. 

Nax moved to Albuquerque after some time away, and now that they're back in New Mexico, they run a weekly mic and a monthly stand-up showcase in Nob Hill. "There's real crafted comedy happening right now. I'm stoked to be here nurturing this form of expression," says Nax.

No matter who your favorite Queer comedian in Albuquerque is or whether you're just now acquainting yourself with them, one thing is for sure. When it comes to stand-up comedy, you don't have to look far to find some funny fam. - Kelli Trapnell