NJ transgender comedian Julia Scotti is ‘Funny that Way.’ Her story is seriously important
Julia Scotti knows how much representation matters.
The New Jersey comedian, 69, earned big laughs and rave reviews for her 2016 appearances on the NBC competition series "America's Got Talent." With that bow, she became the first out transgender comedian to appear on national television, according to the Advocate.
Scotti, an Ocean County resident, is part of the history of transgender visibility on television, an antecedent to Newark native "Pose" actress Michaela Jaé Rodriguez becoming the first transgender actress to win a Golden Globe last month and Amy Schneider's epic "Jeopardy" winning streak.
“Most prejudice comes out of fear, fear of the unknown," said Scotti. "And when you see these people who are strange to you or alien to you (and) you start to see them in everyday situations, it takes a brick out of the wall (and) pretty soon there is no wall."
Scotti began her comedy career in 1980, and said her audiences, first and foremost, are looking for laughs.
“My audiences are 99% cisgender straight people, and I don’t think they come to my shows thinking, ‘Oh, I’m going to go see this trans woman,’ " she said. "They come to my shows thinking they’re going to see a comedian. And that’s what I want. We don’t want to be looked at as special or different. We want to be looked at for who we are, what we can do.”
Scotti's story is charted in the new documentary "Julia Scotti: Funny That Way." Directed by "Crossing Delancey" writer Susan Sandler, the documentary screens at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, at the Atlantic Moviehouse in Atlantic Highlands, followed by an appearance by Scotti.
Sandler's film is an uncompromising look at a complicated life. Scotti was a working comedian as Rick Scotti for 20 years before coming out as a transgender woman, working as a teacher and returning to the comedy world in 2011.
In "Funny That Way," that history is on display for everyone, including Scotti herself, to see.
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“There’s a moment (in the film) where I’m sitting, watching (footage of) Rick Scotti with my son, talk about trans people in a way that’s not exactly positive," Scotti said. "And I had forgotten it even existed, and then I saw it in the movie and it just took me aback and it took me back. I realized what I was going through at the time was struggling with my identity and not knowing who I was. And I didn’t realize that it was that evident.”
The film is rendered with the same sort of unflinching, empathetic candor that has been a guiding principle for Scotti since she returned to the stage.
"I said if I ever stepped on stage again two things would have to happen: I would have to be totally honest about who I was, and I would have to be fearless," Scotti said. "And I think that’s the major difference now, compared to what I was. Coming out on ‘AGT,’ for instance, that would have been a career-killer ... (but) I didn’t care at that point. I just wanted to get the truth out.”
By sharing her story, Scotti hopes that other people are inspired to be true to themselves.
“You have to learn to listen to your heart," she said. "We get bombarded by everybody else’s opinions and just wanting to please everyone so that we’re accepted. And really, what it comes down to is once we accept ourselves for who we are, love ourselves for who we are, the people who don’t want to be around us will fall by the wayside. But what happens is new people will come, people that know us and love us for who we are — the honest us.”
"Julia Scotti: Funny That Way" screens 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12 at the Atlantic Moviehouse, 82 First Ave., Atlantic Highlands, $30, atlanticcinemas.com. For more on the film, also available on-demand via digital outlets, visit juliascottifilm.com.
Alex Biese has been writing about art, entertainment, culture and news on a local and national level for more than 15 years.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ transgender comedian Julia Scotti shares story in Funny That Way
