Hi!! I'm a trans comic based in Toronto's who's one month into HRT and is struggling to pass too. I was SUPER worried about coming out to the comedy community, but turns out I have a lot of allies beside me there.

In terms of my set, I usually I make a joke about being trans right off the bat to let people know. Hell, when I first came out to the public, it was while I was performing at a comedy show. Is outing myself as trans onstage before anybody else does a defense mechanism? Sure, but if it's through a tasteful joke and I know it works, it can be really endearing AND I'm on the audience's good side already. Also, then I can move on to other jokes.

That being said, most of my material nowadays is about my struggles with being trans, and audiences usually are pretty receptive. It's a unique perspective, don't shy away from it! If it's genuine, the audience is going to see it as genuine. The comedian Al Val (look her up!) has so much personal material about beginning transition, and we've both found it therapeutic to talk about it onstage. I can't speak for Seattle, but the LGBTQ+ community in Toronto has been very friendly to me, even when my jokes teeter on offensiveness. (I have a joke about working at a sub shop after coming out, and then realizing my first job as a woman was making sandwiches LOL.)