The comedy tour “Here to Pee,” which began in March, represents comedian Ren Q. Dawe’s most ambitious project to date: a tour through all 50 states, featuring an all trans and queer lineup. Dawe brings the show to the Crown & Anchor in Provincetown on May 12. The tour’s title is a pointed response to legislation, adopted by 18 states, that prohibits transgender people from using public bathrooms that align with their gender identities.
Dawe, who says that besides an entertainer he is also a project manager and educator,” Dawe has carved out a unique niche in the comedy world by merging wit with advocacy for LGBTQ rights. For each performance on the tour, Dawe partners with local nonprofits or grassroots organizations to raise funds to fight anti-LGBTQ ballot initiatives. Donations have averaged around $500 per show, he says. For the May 12 performance, Dawe is collaborating with Kristen Becker’s nonprofit Summer of Sass, which brings LGBTQ youth to Provincetown each year to live and work in an accepting environment.
While Dawe’s previous work focused primarily on adults, the “Here to Pee” tour addresses challenges facing younger LGBTQ people, like laws limiting access to gender-affirming health care, discrimination in sports, bullying and harassment, family rejection, homelessness, and mental health issues. “The most vulnerable people in our communities right now are LGBTQ young people — specifically trans youth,” says Dawe. “They’re the ones being targeted.”
Dawe, 28, is originally from Shepherdstown, W.Va., a small town where he fell in love with community theater and the closeness of the queer community. But it hasn’t always been a smooth ride. Dawe spent several years living in tents, cars, and vans. He now lives in Gunbarrel, Colo., outside Boulder.
Dawe is the education and programs director for the You Can Play project, founded in 2012, focused on LGBTQ inclusion in professional and amateur sports. The work includes ensuring that queer people are safe and accepted in sports programs while developing practical solutions like investing in $20 portable changing rooms for trans youth in Massachusetts soccer leagues.
Dawe says he was not the funny kid growing up, much as he wanted to be. He got into comedy after getting off a restaurant shift one night in 2017 and hearing comedian Dave Chapelle suggest that trans people should disappear themselves.
“I got tired of hearing bad trans jokes and decided to give it a try,” says Dawe. “I was shocked by how welcoming the community was.” Soon after, he got up on stage at a smoky pub in Atlanta and has been doing stand-up ever since.
Dawe’s jokes and stories mock the purveyors of transphobia and confront the idea of criminalizing use of a public restroom. In one, his packer (a prosthesis) rolls out of his trousers and into a nearby stall. “What do you do? Ask for that back?” Dawe says. “The dude so elegantly nudges it with his sneaker and says, ‘Hey, man, I think you dropped your dick.’ ”
Each show in the tour features a rotating cast, with comedians typically doing 10- to 20-minute sets, while Dawe either opens the show or headlines with a 30-minute set. Kristen Becker is in the lineup for May 12 along with some surprise guests. The cast isn’t limited to comics — it has included drag artists, ballroom performers, poets, storytellers, and even a hairstylist who cut Dawe’s hair while he did his stand-up routine.
“Getting to work with drag artists and ballroom performers has been delightful,” Dawe says. “The ways we are affected by the anti-trans legislation are the same.”
After performances in seven states and the District of Columbia, “Here to Pee” is building momentum despite challenges. “Our ads are getting blocked by Meta,” says Dawe. “We had our accounts for the tour canceled twice. The account where we simply post tour information is constantly getting flagged for inappropriate content.” The ads are also being flagged as election content, he says.
The obstacles haven’t stopped him. Dawe says average attendance has been over 70 people per performance — not bad for unfamiliar cities — and that he’s worked hard to connect with performers across the country and make them visible. “There are trans comedians in places you don’t expect — Casper, Wyo. and Memphis, Tenn.,” he says. “We want to make it known.”
The tour will have a life beyond the performances themselves. Documentary filmmaker Jeff Stonic, who is transgender, is following Dawe around the country, capturing both the performances and the cultural context. He’ll be filming in Provincetown.
Stonic and Dawe crossed the country in two separate cars (in case one breaks down, says Dawe). The tour has featured performers who joined for multiple stops, including one who “hopped on in Memphis and stayed on for the South Carolina and North Carolina shows,” Dawe says. For many participants, the tour offers a rare opportunity to perform with other LGBTQ artists. “Queer comics are often tokenized as diversity hires in the lineup, and it’s rare to perform with one another as comedians,” says Dawe. “It’s so fun to be in the green room with other trans comics.”
He approaches comedy with a philosophy that balances humor with education. “A lot of arrogance is based on ignorance, and a lot of bigotry is based on not understanding,” Dawe says. “You can’t yell at a child and expect them to learn something — you have to gently work with them to find another way to explain something complicated.”
Rather than targeting individuals, Dawe focuses on “ridiculing oppressive systems” while avoiding shaming those who “have been misled or underexposed.” This approach focuses on highlighting “the incredulity of people instead of the absurdity of people.”
The timing of “Here to Pee” has proven “oddly serendipitous” says Dawe, pointing to the rise of the anti-trans backlash. “Comedy is not always looked at as a necessary art form,” he says, but right now, “I’m happy I get to bring joy that is really needed and wanted.”
Trailblazing Tour
The event: “Here to Pee,” a comedy show with Ren Q. Dawe and guests
The time: Monday, May 12, 7 p.m.
The place: Crown & Anchor, 247 Commercial St., Provincetown
The cost: $25 general admission
