Pastor, lesbian comedian join forces
Pair unite to show there’s room in religion for God and everyone else
Believing in God and being gay are not mutually exclusive. That’s part of the message of “Loosen the Bible Belt: A Tour for Humanity.”
At first, the production sounds like the set-up for a joke: What happens when you put a minister and a lesbian comedian in a van for a couple of weeks? The punchline: a church revival mixed with a comedy show that’s set in a bar.
In fact, an evening of inclusivity and laughter ensues, entertainment with a goal of creating awareness and understanding for members of the LGBTQ community living in the South. Houston will be one of the first stops of the tour. The show is slated for 8 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Secret Group, 2101 Polk St. Tickets are $10 each.
The stars of the show are Pastor Jay Bakker, leader of the Revolution Church, and Kristen Becker, founder of Dykes of Hazard Comedy and Summer of Sass. Bakker appears in the show via video during this tour.
The line-up also includes SarahRose Marie, a singer/songwriter living in New Orleans, and Meghan Deponceau, a stand-up comedian and self-described atheist, who resides in Denver.
“Being our authentic selves is our goal — and creating a space where everyone is also free to be themselves,” Becker said. “Anyone who needs to feel good can come, regardless of what you believe in. But you have to be prepared to hear what you’re not used to. That’s part of it.”
Becker moved to Shreveport when she was 9 years old and attended high school in Louisiana. “I grew up in the Bible Belt,” she said.
She knew firsthand the trials faced by queer teens in the South and was looking for a way to help. “Having just me telling people something is wrong isn’t going to work,” she said.
Then by chance Becker discovered Bakker. She was watching the documentary “One Punk Under God: the Prodigal Son of Jim and Tammy Faye,” which tells the pastor’s life story.
His own ministry took a hit when he announced that he supported gay marriage, Becker explained.
“I was like, ‘That’s my guy. I want to work with that guy,’ ” Becker recalled.
She tweeted him and, before long, the two were joining forces and going on tour. This will be their third trip across the Bible Belt, preaching the message of unity and acceptance through comedy and music.
Becker said the timing was perfect. Divisiveness was spreading across the country. Many of her queer friends in the South felt they could no longer attend their regular church because of their sexuality or gender expression.
“Then, we realized it’s not just queer people who are oppressed by religion in small towns and the Deep South,” Becker said. “It’s about religious extremism.”
In response, she and Bakker wanted to create an alternative, a welcoming environment for all.
“It’s about if we can laugh a little, if we can share a little, we can rebuild community,” Becker said. “And that will replenish a little of what’s being taken away.”
After all, she and Bakker not only share the stage, they’ve traveled cross country together in a van, before they even really knew each other.
“Let’s prove that strangers can share space,” she said. “We can make this work and learn to let ourselves be outside of our own comfort zones and still co-exist. We’re ready to model civic discourse.”
Each year, the tour has gotten bigger and better, Becker said.
She hopes that the evening will draw all types of audience members — whether they are LGBTQ, atheists, religious or feeling out of place at church.
“Maybe the hatred they feel from their church isn’t sitting well with them,” she said. “If your pastor isn’t being a leader, you have to speak up. We’re giving them a little shot in the arm. We’re providing some strength.”
Meghan Deponceau is managing the tour, in addition to being one of the featured comedians.
She has known Becker since she started doing comedy. “Kristen was running the stage I started on,” Deponceau said. “She’s been a mentor on many levels. She’s not just about doing standup but also about creating your own voice and doing it for something good.”
At first Deponceau said she was nervous to join a tour with a religious theme. Then she heard Bakker speak.
“Jay’s open-minded preaching just blew me away,” she said. “It’s something that can reach everybody. He’s finding parts of the bible that can unite us. Love and acceptance, he’s pushing that.”
Deponceau produces shows locally in her hometown of Denver and tours all around the U.S. Her comedy often focuses on women’s sexuality and health issues.
“Everyone in the ‘Loosen the Bible Belt’ show is trying to eliminate unnecessary guilt and shame in people,” she said. “It’s for people of all different walks and backgrounds. We just go and spread love.”