Margaret Cho
When Margaret Cho visits Toronto on Friday, it’s for the dirty stand-up she’s best known for

BY Kate Carraway October 20, 2010 21:10

Margaret Cho has been diversifying: she was recently kicked off the reality competition show Dancing with the Stars; acts on Drop Dead Diva and has started to release music. But, when Cho visits Toronto on Friday, it’s for the dirty stand-up she’s best known for. In fact, she may be even angrier than usual in light of recent events (you know, all that homophobic bullshit that’s been going on).

We caught up with her to find out.

You’ve called yourself a fag hag, but have also appeared in a lot of mainstream culture lately. Will your show still be largely gay-focused?

Yes, and it always will. This is who I am. This is my community, this is what I want to talk about. This is where my heart is, and where my politics are. I’m proud to be able to speak for the community; I’m so elated that I have a platform to do so.

“Fuck off” has become your response to people who are opposed to gay marriage. What did it take to make you unwilling to argue?

Well there is no argument. Why should I argue? Because they’re wrong. Why should I waste [my time] defending it? If I put myself in a defensive position, than that means that I accept somehow that they’re right. They’re not. I’m totally intolerant of their tolerance, and that’s the way it is, that’s the bottom line. I’ve fucking had enough!….I have a temper. It’s not a good combination. I’m, like, not patient and I’m not loving, I just immediately get furious. It’s just unbearable for me.

There’s still so few women in comedy. It seems like there was a time when women being weird was allowed and burgeoning, and that sort of stopped.

I would love to see more female comics. The community around comedy is not supportive of women and that makes it tough. The way male comics surround each other and support each other, you don’t have that with women… I’m from an era that was really influential in comedy, so the respect for me in comedy [is about] the work of my generation. At the same time, when I was coming up I didn’t have support from the guys.

What are you interested in lately that will be in your show?

I’m doing a lot about my family history, about my grandfather and his impact on my life, and immigration… [Racism] is still a big topic.