PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHER O’BRIANT

Asher O’Briant is tired of being made the villain. In fact, the comedian wants to scream the wonders of gender euphoria from the rooftops — a desire he’s bringing to fruition in his new musical stand-up comedy special, “One-Man, No-Woman, Show.”

Don’t be fooled by the title — the hour-long special welcomes all genders and tackles “untraditional upbringings and uncomfortable bathroom experiences,” says O’Briant. Among a month full of Pride commitments, O’Briant will perform “One-Man, No-Woman, Show” at Arcade Comedy Theater on Friday and at Brillobox on June 23.

“As a transgender writer, I found most mainstream media does not convey transgender people in a very happy or light tone. We’re often associated with crime and drugs and suicide, and it’s not good representation. It’s also not accurate,” O’Briant explains. “Having stories which show gender euphoria and show funny coming-out experiences can really open people’s minds to the fact that it does get better and there is a happier narrative out there.”

COURTESY OF ASHER O’BRIANT

O’Briant aspired to give the kind of representation he himself sought to the transgender community, describing the special as “A fluid monologue through queer history as well as some of my own semi-autobiographical experiences.”

He treats his audience as old friends. Sipping a cup of tea, he addresses the room from a makeshift cafe set-up, complete with “some weeping acoustic guitar player in the corner,” in an attempt to emulate the public intimacy that trading secrets behind a menu offers. Think roller derby-fueled sexual awakenings, Bible-page rolling papers and prostate examination dreams.

As for the musical element of his newest special? O’Briant shares that the concept was born out of the desire to perform alongside his partner, Maximilian Cathey, in a way “where we could showcase our works and our queer experiences at the same time,” says O’Briant.

“[It’s] like a Sonny and Cher hour, but Sonny and Cher are gay and they’re not going to split up.”

The duo uses the iconic Pixies tune “Where is My Mind?” several times throughout the performance, a reference to the song’s prominent placement in the film “Fight Club” — a film that fascinates O’Briant “because it’s so beloved by the cis-het-dude-bro community.”

The cult classic film is additionally referenced as a way to talk about consent — sexual or otherwise — because, for O’Briant, comedy is a medium for advocacy.

His May 25th performance at Deutschtown’s QMNTY Center (pronounced “community”) offered free admission to all audience members identifying as part of the LQBTQ+ community. The QMNTY Center provides resources to trans youth; O’Briant himself teaches sketch, stand-up and improv classes at the center.

“Comedy is a very cis-het dominated field, [which] is unfortunate because it is such a valuable tool for people who are marginalized to speak their experiences to a large audience and be able to laugh at harder subjects that they’ve dealt with,” O’Briant says.

Helping the QMNTY Center — “in any capacity they’ll have me” — allows O’Briant to uplift marginalized voices while using his own. For the last three years, O’Briant has performed at Pittsburgh Pride which the QMNTY Center helps manage.

Ahead of Pride 2024 his excitement was palpable — “I have circles around at least 10 people’s names on the bill that I want to catch,” says O’Briant.

From the welcoming banner on his website — “My pronouns are He/He” — and his special’s tagline, “Insights after going through puberty twice,” O’Briant revels in the opportunity to spread queer joy.