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Alok Vaid-Menon        

Internationally Acclaimed Poet, Comedian, Public Speaker, & Actor; Known for "Beyond the Gender Binary" and "BIOLOGY!" Comedy Special

ALOK (they/them) is an internationally acclaimed poet, comedian, public speaker, and actor. ALOK’s literary works “Beyond the Gender Binary,” “Femme in Public,” and “Your Wound, My Garden,” have garnered global recognition. Their dynamic presence has captivated audiences in over 40 countries, with sold-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Netflix is a Joke Festival.

ALOK's first comedy special "BIOLOGY!" was executive produced by Christopher Guest. They are the subject of the docu-short “ALOK” executive produced by Jodie Foster and directed by Alex Hedison, which made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024. On screen, they can also be seen in "Complicated Order," "The Trans List," and "Absolute Dominion" (forthcoming). On television, they can be seen on HBO's "Sex Lives of College Girls," "Sort Of and Random Acts of Flyness," Hulu’s "Planet Sex" with Cara Delevingne, and Netflix’s "Gender Agenda Comedy Special" and "Getting Curious" with Jonathan Van Ness.

For their contributions to culture and entertainment, they have been honored with the ACLU of Southern California Bill of Rights Award, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment Trailblazer Award, and were selected as the inaugural LGBTQ Scholar in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania.

Speech Topics


Fighting for Trans Ordinariness

So much of the mainstream political discussion about transgender and gender-nonconforming identity is rooted in conflict. Rights denied; rights demanded. The activist, writer and comedian Alok Vaid-Menon acknowledges those fundamental, often violent clashes but comes at them from a place of peace and compassion.

Beyond the Gender Binary

In this performance-lecture ALOK presents a 21st century approach to gender rights, calling for an end to the gender binary. The gender binary -- the maintenance of two separate and opposite genders -- is a system of power that exists to create conflict and division. This false choice of boy or girl, man or woman, male or female is not natural -- it is political. We deserve more options. Gender diversity is an integral part of our existence. It always has been, and it always will be.

Femme in Public

What feminine part of yourself did you have to destroy in order to survive in this world? At what point does femininity become synonymous with apology? Who hurt the people who hurt you? ALOK is trying to figure it out. Join for an evening of poetry, stand-up comedy, drag, and more as they take their audience on an emotional roller coaster all the way from the personal to the political.

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