Suzanne Westenhoefer (born March 31, 1961, in

Columbia, Pennsylvania Columbia, formerly Wright's Ferry, is a borough (town) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 10,222. It is southeast of Harrisburg, on the east (left) bank of the Susquehanna River, ...

) is an American out

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehear ...

. She starred as a panelist on GSN's 2006 remake of '' I've Got a Secret'', which featured a panel of gay celebrities who had to guess the various guests' 'secrets' through a series of timed questions. Her comedy special and documentary, '' A Bottom on Top'', aired on LOGO Television in the fall of 2007. In 2004 she was featured in the film ''Laughing Matters'' along with

Kate Clinton Kate Clinton (born November 9, 1947) is an American comedian specializing in political commentary from a gay/lesbian point of view. Early life and education Clinton was born in Buffalo, New York. She was raised in a large Catholic family in the s ...

Marga Gomez Marga Gomez is a comedian, writer, performer, and teaching artist from Harlem, New York. She has written and performed in thirteen solo plays which have been presented nationally and internationally. Her acting credits include Off-Broadway and na ...

and Karen Williams. After accepting a dare, she began her career delivering gay-themed material to straight audiences in mainstream comedy clubs in New York City in the early 1990s. She became the first openly lesbian comic ever to appear on television in 1991 on an episode of '' The Sally Jesse Raphael Show'' entitled "Breaking the Lesbian Stereotype...Lesbians Who Don't Look Like Lesbians." In 1991 and 1992, her stand-up comedy appeared on

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

Short Attention Span Theater ''Short Attention Span Theater'' (often abbreviated to ''SAST'') is an American clip show in which the hosts presented short segments of stand-up comedy acts and scenes from films airing on HBO and Cinemax. It aired from 1989 until 1994. ''SAST' ...

and Stand-up Stand-up. She went on to become the first openly gay comic to host her own HBO Comedy Special in 1994 (which earned her a Cable Ace Award nomination) and to appear on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

'' in 2003. Westenhoefer's current US tour is entitled "Totally Inappropriate". In 1993 she performed in the LGBT-themed comedy special '' Out There'', and in 1998 she appeared in the LGBT-themed sketch comedy special ''

In Thru the Out Door ''In Thru the Out Door'' is a Canadian comedy special, which aired on CBC Television on June 22, 1998.Alan Conter, "Show tackles sex, gender full-tilt: Born at Just for Laughs, CBC's In Thru the Out Door brings gay comedy to the small screen". ''M ...

''.Alan Conter, "Show tackles sex, gender full-tilt: Born at Just for Laughs, CBC's In Thru the Out Door brings gay comedy to the small screen". ''

Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...

'', June 20, 1998. Westenhoefer's recent tour, "Finally legal… in a few states", was a headlining act on the recent

Sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones, ...

Caribbean cruise. Her latest venture, a starring role in the popular online web drama ''We Have To Stop Now'' is about to enter its second season, with the first soon available on DVD from

Wolfe Video Wolfe Video is the oldest and largest exclusive producer and distributor of LGBT films in North America. Founded in 1985 in New Almaden by Kathy Wolfe, the company began as a consumer mail order distribution company for lesbian VHS videos but ha ...

. Her GLAMA award-winning specials ''Nothing in my Closet but my Clothes'', ''I'm Not Cindy Brady'' and ''Guaranteed Fresh'' are all available on DVD, as are her most recent televised specials, ''Live from the Village'' and ''A Bottom on Top''.

Discography

* ''HBO Comedy Half Hour'' (1994): Nominated for a Cable Ace Award * ''Nothing in my Closet but my Clothes'' (1997): Gay and Lesbian American Music Award (GLAMA) winner for best comedy CD * ''I’m Not Cindy Brady'' (2000): GLAMA winner for best comedy CD * ''Guaranteed Fresh'' (2003) : GLAMA winner for best comedy CD * ''Live at the Village'' (2006) * ''A Bottom on Top'' (2007)

References

External links

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Interview with Suzanne Westenhoefer
from PhillyGayCalendar.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Westenhoefer, Suzanne 1961 births American television actresses American lesbian actresses Living people American women comedians Actors from Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lesbian comedians Actresses from Pennsylvania 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians American people of German descent LGBTQ people from Pennsylvania People from Columbia, Pennsylvania 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American LGBTQ comedians Comedians from Pennsylvania