Gay conservative comedian

And her grandmother. Wade.

Exactly, yeah. And I said, "I can't change the laws here, I can't make the legislation be different, but I can provide a place where 2,800 people can come and look around and see allies, to see other gay people." And that's powerful to know that we have each other and can go out into the world and spread a more positive message to help, little by little, to change legislation by voting, by volunteering, making a difference.

So all I know how to do is to continue to be representation, hopefully positive representation, and to keep reminding people we exist and have a voice and are people and have love and have problems and have all the same trials and tribulations as anyone else, as any straight person I know. Former Daily Show Host Trevor Noah is the only left-of-center voice among the top 10 most popular internet shows, the analysis said.

“The Democratic Party lost control of the cultural zeitgeist and the ways in which culture is formed,” said Rob Flaherty, the deputy campaign manager and digital chief for former Vice President Harris.

And in my 18 years of being in this business, the thing that every venue tells me, be it a club, a theater, they say, "Your audience is so kind, so amazing. I'm a big coffee person. And we're at the beginning of whatever's to come. To go to these red states and these conservative areas and be an out, proud gay person and to tell my stories and have the audience full of people who relate to those stories or people who are just like me and they want to support me, it's powerful.

Sometimes I'll get people saying “Why would you go to Florida?” when Don't Say Gay was happening, or when the drag ban was happening in Nashville.

Gosh, I haven't spent as much time in Grand Rapids, only because when we visit our family it's in either Royal Oak or up in the peninsula area. So it'll be interesting to see as I go what it's like in these different areas and states. To just enter into that kind of thing together meant so much to us, and so that's why we did it.

And let's just do it. And her mom is always coming to shows in different states. You do what you can and then just have to focus on getting back out there and just trying to bring levity to the situation in any way you can because you feel so helpless to know what to do otherwise.

What does it mean to you to do what you can? 

I think there's a lot of people who want people in the public eye to fix things.

And there's power in sharing our stories and being out and being proud. How do you think your comedy in the next few years can reach across the aisle?

The whole point [of that bit] was to say everyone gets comfortable and thinks, "Oh, gay rights are solved. Marriage equality exists, so you must be OK and we're fine in our country.” That's what I'm saying is the perspective, I think, of people who aren't in the community.

I mean, gay people should be able to experience marriage, they should be able to experience divorce, they should be able to experience all the things.

With everything going on, it’s easy to focus on the negatives — but what’s one thing that gives you hope for the queer community right now?

The beauty of my job is I get to go to so many places in so many states and so many cities.