no indoor voicesBrazilian restaurants, punching bags and dildo-related humor. Besides their affiliation with serious action, what do these things all have in common? They were all found at last Saturday night’s comedy show by “Kimmie Dee’s No Indoor Voices” at the Brazilian Arts Café. With “Stand Up Comedy with Pride!” as the night’s theme, comics from all over the nation gathered in downtown Santa Barbara to share their love for comedy and their support for the LGBTQ community.

The show took place in a cozy room in the back of the restaurant, a hidden room that you wouldn’t find unless you were looking for it. It’s a capoeira studio by day, comedy lounge by night. Seats filled quickly and authentic Brazilian juices were in hand of the predominantly lesbian audience.

After listening to some acoustic covers, the crowd welcomed Kimmie Dee, creator of No Indoor Voices Productions, to the stage. Kimmie’s No Indoor Voices Productions brings comedy and creative expression to the Santa Barbara area. A seasoned performer, Dee was clever, strong-minded and unapologetic — the way comedy should be.

Our host for the night was Heather Turman, a fire-blazing comic and founder of The Young Hot and Gay Tour. Turman was edgy, energetic and (happily) engaged. Her advice on securing a happy life: “Drink and masturbate.” With bits about what it’s like to be a “hot” lesbian and how to bash reality TV to get your intellectual partner in the mood, Turman was honest and hilarious.

Casey Ley brought San Francisco pride to the stage and gave us a taste of that unadulterated humor we’ve heard at SF Sketchfest and “This Feels Wrong.” What was his first impression of our suburban city of Santa Barbara? Let’s just say he was thoroughly impressed with a certain collection of high-end bong art (Fuzion Glass Gallery is a Santa Barbara treasure). He also shared stories of his contempt for working in retail as a grown man (but not before warning the kids in the crowd about glory holes).

Following Ley was none other than the event-coordinator herself, Kimmie Dee. Her Jersey accent came shining through as she gave us her uncensored opinion on social and political issues. She spoke on the recent controversy over Indiana’s “religious freedom” law, which would be amended to allow religious business owners to refuse service to homosexual consumers. According to Dee, gay people typically “mind their own business.” Religious groups? Not so much.

Comedian Sarah Hyland brought her Kentucky charm that has graced shows like MTV’s “Punk’d.” We all lie about our weight and Hyland is no different. She says that she struggled with major body issues as a child and “told people that [she] was born as a two-pound baby.”

Body issues were also an important topic for Ian Harvie (from “Transparent”) who reminded the audience that regardless of sexual orientation, we all struggle with body issues. He told us that there was no harm in “acknowledging beauty where you see it.” This socially-conscious advice was mixed in with stories of traveling with a dildo named Goon Goon (named after the iconic sound at the end of the “Law and Order” theme).

It was a night of embarrassing stories, sexual innuendos and socially-conscious speeches. No Indoor Voices brought together four talented, openly queer comedians to create a night of entertainment which addressed topics that often go unacknowledged in our community.

Jessica Gresham will never watch “Law and Order” the same again.

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