Melbourne Comedy Festival Quietly Renames Barry Humphries Award Following Anti-Trans Remarks
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival has quietly renamed its top honour, the Barry Humphries Award, following a slew of transphobic remarks by the famed comedian.
Barry Humphries, perhaps best known as his alter-ego Dame Edna, has continually doubled down on his anti-trans beliefs, saying in an issue of The Spectator in 2018 that being transgender was a “fashion”, can calling Caitlyn Jenner a “publicity-seeking ratbag ”in a 2016 interview with the Telegraph.
“How many different kinds of lavatory can you have? And it’s pretty evil when it’s preached to children by crazy teachers,”he also added.
The award will instead now be called the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Award.
“It is time for the award for most outstanding show to be in our name to celebrate the city that inspired the growth of our festival and its outstanding artists,”said the Festival’s director Susan Provan.
The nominees for this year’s prize include a trans comedian, Cassie Workman, as well as Anne Edmonds, Geraldine Hickey, James Acaster, Nath Valvo and Tom Allen.
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