Coming Out Party

On the Coming Out Party DVD, seven of America's very out gay and lesbian comedians get on stage and share their intimate and funny memories of that moment when they just couldn't keep it a secret any longer. Recounting that one defining moment when they risked the status quo so that they could openly be who they truly are, these comedians vividly describe the dramatic, scary, and even uplifting tales of how they announced this core aspect of their being to everyone they knewÑand how their news was received by their small and sometimes very large audiences.

Coming Out Party features:

Jackie Beat, best known for his "Fashion Police" criticisms in US Magazine, he appears as himself (without makeup!), talking about his life on the road as a drag queen and how his parents knew he was gay before he did.

Rene Hicks, one of the top black female comediennes, talks about growing up under the strict, watchful eye of her father, a Pentecostal preacher, and how he received the news about her sexual orientation.

Sabrina Matthews is an openly lesbian comic who relates the absurd in everyday life in a witty anecdotal style. Offering her stream of criticisms, witticisms, and comic observations, Matthews discusses being gay and proud of it.

Daniel Renzi, who is best known for being himself on the Miami edition of MTV's The Real World. Renzi talks about growing up gay in the Midwest as he battled against his family, society, and even himself to find out what the label "gay" means to him.

John Riggi discusses his "off the boat" Italian mama, who didn't know what to think of his sexuality until his boyfriend told her his parents don't talk to him anymore. Riggi retells the touching memory of his mother realizing her own acceptance of her son.

Bob Smith has the distinction of appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as the first openly gay comedian. The author of the best-selling book Openly Bob, Smith discusses what it was like growing up gay.

Terry Sweeney, best known for his dead-on impressions of Nancy Reagan on TV's Saturday Night Live, was the first openly gay comedian to perform on national television. Sweeney describes his experiences with his boyfriend's mother and her Alzheimer's disease, instead of spoiling the joke, let's just say she has something to do with his coming out.

Coming Out Party comes out on October 14 from Creative Light Entertainment. For more info: www.comingoutpartydvd.com.

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