If comedy is supposed to be funny, Australian artiste Hannah Gadsby's stand-up special Nanette, aired on Netflix recently, would make you think otherwise. Moving and thought-provoking, Gadsby's radical commentary, which was recorded live at the Sydney Opera House, has been gaining traction world over for its not-so-comedic take on gender politics, religion, discrimination, misogyny, rape and most importantly, homophobia. And yet, Gadsby, who identifies as lesbian, manages to make us laugh at critical points in her 75-minute-long stand-up, showing how comedy can be both tension-inducing and relieving at the same time.

But if Gadsby has done the world a favour in voicing the anguish of the marginalised, she has also motivated her contemporaries from the LGBTQI community, who do comedy, to upend their repertoire. Closer home, where only a handful of stand-up artistes have come out of the closet and have had the courage to speak out about the struggles with their identities, this conversation becomes more pertinent.