My Spirit Animal Is A Butch Lesbian: A Stand Up Comedy Show Featuring Sampson

Nationally Touring Comic Continues to Use Laughter to Highlight Social Justice Issues & Lack of Diversity in Entertainment in Encore SF Performance

Event: My Spirit Animal Is A Butch Lesbian: A Stand Up Comedy Show Featuring Sampson
Date: Tuesday January 26, 2016
Time: Doors 730PM Show 8PM
Where: San Francisco Punch Line 444 Battery Street San Francisco, CA 94111
Tickets: $15.00


San Francisco, CA- As we approach a time where diversity is more visible than ever in mainstream entertainment and on prime time television, it’s safe to say that we have come quite a long way. However, as we continue to observe discussions via social media and even at prestigious awards shows (such as Viola Davis’s Emmy Speech after making history as the first woman of color to win the award for Best Actress in a Drama) although better late than never, this is definitely something that could and should’ve happened much sooner than 2015, this, as well as other dialogue that continues to be had, are also indications that we have a much longer way to go. Sampson McCormick, (Sampson), a black, LGBT comic and writer who has been performing, writing and entertaining for close to 15 years now, has been on a similar path, in 2013 making history as the first gay comic to headline Washington, DC’s historic Howard Theater among other accomplishments, and experiences the same issues as comic who happens to be a double minority and faces obstacles because many comedy club bookers and producers don’t look at minority comics and their subject matter as “marketable”. Refusing to be relegated to “gay pride comedy nights”, or limited audiences, Sampson is working to bring light to the fact that women, LGBT, the disabled and people of color, among other minorities are just as good and marketable as anyone else, he’s also currently producing a documentary “A Tough Act To Follow” due for a Spring 2016 completion date, which chronicles some of his challenges working in the entertainment business as a stand-up comic who happens to be black and LGBT, and the obstacles that other minorities face in entertainment will play film and arts festivals around the country and internationally.
Read Sampson’s top trending Huffington Post article “Funny Is Funny: Homophobia, Misogyny and The Lack of Diversity in Comedy”: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sampson-mccormick/funny-is-funny-homophobia_b_8363338.html

In addition to creating more visibility of the LGBT community on stage, I work to use comedy to create laughter, while poking fun at the obvious things in life that draw laughter from the audience (life, pop culture, etc.), I also use my performances to highlight important social issues, and to bring focus to the needs of our collective communities. Additionally, events such as these allow us to come together and celebrate diversity and do it with laughter, I’m happy to be returning to the San Francisco Punch Line to use comedy to continue the conversation around social justice and creating more visibility of LGBT, women and people of color in comedy, I’ll be once again joined by fellow LGBT comics Karen Ripley & Ash Fisher. This show is open to everyone, and a portion of the ticket sales will benefit local charity.