The Lady Parts Justice League is the latest comedy project from comedian and Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead.
Winstead has gathered fellow comics Helen Hong, Leah Bonnema and Joyelle Johnson to create a multimedia comedy show that uses stand-up, sketch and videos to expose the sexism that dominates the political and social landscapes.
Their show, “You Should Smile More and Other Manspirational Observations,” opens May 12 at Headliners Music Hall. It will tackle national issues like pay inequality, as well as discuss local politicians like Gov. Matt Bevin and Sen. Mitch McConnell.
Listen to the interview in the audio player above.
On how the Lady Parts Justice League got started:
"It started when in 2011, the laws in state legislatures just started popping up everywhere; I decided to start doing some benefits for independent clinics and Planned Parenthoods, and something happened at each event. One was the people came to the shows -- some of them were fans of mine, and some of them who were supporting the clinic. The fans of mine had no idea what was going on, while the people who had attended the shows in support of the clinic didn’t understand that it was happening outside their state.
"So when they told me, ‘Oh my god, I need to pay more attention,’ that was great. But the third thing that happened, which was really the catalyst, every single clinic I went to told me, ‘Oh my god, thank you for coming because no one ever comes. We are alone. We don’t even know our place in the community. We know that we service women every day and people are really grateful, but we need support.’
"So knowing that I, myself, had had an abortion in high school, and that many of my friends had abortions or had used some kind of low-cost reproductive health care to get where they are in life -- comedians, actors, writers … So I sent out a blast email that basically said, ‘If we’ve used these. we need to be the people helping the message get out there.’"
On why she chooses to address serious women’s issues through comedy:
"I think humor can share a common thread. So to gather people into a room where everyone knows that we will be hearing shared experiences, to know that we will be laughing at the powerful -- holding them up for scrutiny -- knowing that you are gathering with like-minded people who really want to do that, can be really calming and welcoming and great."