Dian Cathal is an award-winning trans comedian, writer, and performer who has spent the last decade doing what most people wouldn't dare: turning the politics of his own existence into a night out. Born in New York, living in London by medical necessity rather than choice (corn syrup, of all things, is the villain), he has built a body of work that uses sharp, personal comedy to pull apart identity, migration, and what it actually means to belong somewhere.
His current touring show Trans*Atlantic asks one beautifully blunt question: if you are a trans man and a US expat living in Britain right now, which identity makes you the bigger villain? The show has already picked up a five-star review from Reviews Hub, which recommended it be watched by Starmer's cabinet, JK Rowling, and assorted Guardian columnists.
In this episode of Political by Design, Dian joins Leslie Clarke for an hour of comedy, politics, and some genuinely unexpected tangents, including what the Irish changeling myth has to do with transphobic parenting, why Northern Ireland is functionally a trans country, Labour's revealing response to being asked whether they hate Americans, and what Dian was thinking when he heard Luigi Mangione had been shot.
They also get into the Supreme Court ruling on gender recognition, the difference between free speech and freedom of expression, why art can change government policy when it is good enough to be undeniable, and what Dian makes of queer people who stand against the trans community.
It is one of those conversations that keeps turning corners.
What's in this episode
• Why Dian had to leave the US and what corn syrup has to do with it
• Trans*Atlantic: the show, the question, and the five-star coalition of intended viewers
• Deadnamed, Irish mythology, and why nobody is actually dead
• The attention economy, hate comments, and getting paid either way
• TERF Island as seen from the outside, and why Britain's trans debate looks different to the US
• The Supreme Court ruling: sitting in a theatre doing final edits when it landed
• Free speech versus freedom of expression, and why Brits have confused the two
• Why Is That So Funny? by John Wright, the book Dian recommends on how and why comedy works
• Art as a force for political change, from 1980s East Germany to queer comedy nights
• Labour's accidental admission, and what Dian's planning to do with it
• Time Bomb: his next show, about cancer, family history, and healthcare
Trans*Atlantic tour dates
• Brighton: 2 May, Komedia Studio (Brighton Fringe)
• London: 18 May, Queer Comedy Club
• Cambridge: 29 May, Blue Moon
• Dublin: 4 to 9 May, Wild Stages Festival (Deadnamed)
Find Dian Cathal
• diancathal.com
• Instagram: @diancathal
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