LONDON — Jen Ives, an up-and-coming British stand-up comedian, was recently dressed in mountaineering gear ready to lead a journey up a summit called “Peak Trans.” The mountain had been scribbled on a piece of cardboard, and formed the backdrop for an online show she was performing as part of the annual Leicester Comedy Festival.
But Ives said it was more than a prop: It was a metaphor for the daily struggles of transgender people in Britain, who have to continually deal with attacks, as if clambering up a hill.
If it sounded like a tough premise for a comedy show, Ives insisted it would be fine. “I’m more than qualified to take you up this hypothetical mountain.” After all, she said, “I am transgender myself.” Transgender people have never.