By KRISTIN DIZON
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

She's sassy. She can be shocking. But one thing Margaret Cho won't be is silenced.

Plenty of people have tried to shout her down and shut her out, but she remains an uninhibited advocate for human rights, gay rights, racial equality and more.

In her current nationwide tour, "Assassin," which finishes in Seattle on Friday, Cho takes aim at the Bush administration, the religious right, and current affairs.

"There's no right wing without religion anymore. There's no separation of church and state. There's very little freedom of religion," said Cho, from her Los Angeles home. "People who are not of the same religion or moral view are being prejudiced against. And it's being taken very lightly."

She chose the name "Assassin" right after the presidential election in November, when she was feeling steamed about the results. "I was trying to pick a title that would be the most confrontational, controversial, incendiary title I could pick.”

But before you call the Secret Service, you should know that she’s not out to kill anyone.

“It’s more like slaying ideas or getting rid of things. Or just attacking things that I think are unfair – things like the Bush administration’s attitude toward gay marriage. A lot of what’s happening in the media today is incorporated in the show and that’s what I feel like I’m assassinating.”

In classic Cho style, the show is candid, unvarnished and irreverent.

“The show is so infantile in some ways, because it’s just complaining,” she said. “Even people who don’t believe what I’m saying laugh because it’s so stupid.”

“Assassin” has been well received by audiences and critics, even in Dallas, where she spent nearly an hour and a half skewering Texas’s favorite native son, aka the president. The show is by far her most political, and less personal, than previous shows, including “Notorious C.H.O.” and “Revolution.”

But, she says “Assassin” may be less raunchy than some of her other work, because it’s less about her own experiences. “I don’t think that anything that I do is particularly off-color or raunchy. Because to me, it’s natural and completely honest. It’s not meant to be titillating.”

That’s not how many conservatives feel about Cho, who has been a lightning rod for their displeasure. But she seems unfazed.

“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t make a difference to me,” said Cho, quietly, without sounding the least bit defiant. “I don’t have anything to lose. I don’t really matter to the mainstream establishment. So it’s not like anything I do needs to be censored or held back.”

She said people who don’t like her are often irked by empowered women. “People say, ‘Who do you think you are?’ I’m me and I can say what I like.”

Cho does see herself as a defender of the First Amendment. “I have to be; I think everybody has to be. It’s such an important thing. Just by existing, I’m trying to do that.”

But, first and foremost, she’s here to make people laugh. “I always just want to be a comedian, ultimately. If you cross-pollinate too much, then it comes boring. I never want to lose sight of being an entertainer.”

Most of Cho’s shows and concert films have been independently produced and she hasn’t lacked for a sizable audience.

Cho, 36, is also branching out into film. Her first feature, which she wrote, produced and stars in, is “Bam Bam & Celeste,” set to hit the festival circuit this fall and be released in theaters next year.

The story of a gay man and the woman who loves him, “Bam Bam & Celeste” follows two friends on a road trip to New York City to try out for their favorite reality show.

“It’s a fag and fag hag love story,” said Cho. “It’s something that needs to be seen. We sort of have a glossy view of them on TV shows like ‘Will and Grace.’ This is like an unglossy, very realistic portrayal.”

Cho is also working on her second book, currently titled “I Have Chosen To Stay and Fight,” a longer, deeper riff on politics and society. And she writes a blog on her Web site, www.margaretcho.com, where she opines on anything that interests her.

The comic, who has railed against society’s expectations about women’s bodies, has slimmed down and toned up and says she’s happier in her body than ever. She did it by belly-dancing, where it’s not just OK to jiggle and roll – it’s expected.

“Ultimately, it’s not like I’m doing it because I want to be thinner or look a certain way,” Cho said. “It’s my passion and something that has made me feel really good. It’s more than working out. It’s a very political thing. It just gives women an opportunity to feel good about themselves, which is so rare for women in this society.”

Cho has been married for two years to artist Al Ridenour. Being married has prompted her to fight harder for the ability of gays to wed too. She’s mystified that many in the country don’t want to see that form of equality for gays and lesbians.

“Their slant on it is they need to protect marriage – but from what? From people who are different?” asked Cho, who has a large gay and lesbian following. “What does it matter if gay people get married? And why is homophobia legislated like it’s normal?”

Cho said she and her husband have considered having children but decided recently to adopt a third dog instead.

“We want to have a baby, but we thought, maybe we should have a Chihuahua first.”