A line formed outside the Varsity Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 21, but it wasn’t for Jamba Juice or for one of the regularly scheduled movies. These students were waiting to watch BYU’s stand-up comedy club.
Humor U is a student lead club that focuses on performing and teaching stand-up comedy. They perform about three shows a semester and dedicated their Nov. 21 performance to raising money for The Trevor Project, a charity organization that provides a 24-hour suicide hotline for LGBT youth.
“About two years ago, we had a club member commit suicide, so we’ve wanted to do a show that would benefit a suicide hotline for a long time,' club president Lauren Bade said. 'The Trevor Project, the fact that it’s a suicide hotline as well as a charity that benefits queer people, it’s just a cause that is close to a lot of people in the club’s hearts.'
The show featured several comedians, all wearing rainbow tie-dye T-shirts. Each had time to tell jokes, which varied in topic but usually focused on personal experiences or poked fun at Provo culture.
Humor U also gave time to a representative from an Instagram account called Color the Campus. The account works to make BYU students who identify as LGBT feel welcome by selecting specific days where all students are invited to wear rainbow.
Each reference to The Trevor Project and the LGBT cause was supported by the audience via cheers and applause. Students also donated to the cause, as the proceeds from every $5 ticket sold were given to The Trevor Project.
BYU graduate Michael Kredt came to the show and noted that he thoroughly enjoyed it. He was only semi-aware of the cause but was glad to support it.
“We need better understanding of what LGBT people experience and to just work our way towards understanding,” Kredt said.
BYU students Thomas Thurber and Eric Jardine both agreed that the show was funny. They were not aware of the cause but were invited by friends. Both Thurber and Jardine had positive things to say about the show. Both noted that they would come to another Humor U event.
More information about Humor U and The Trevor Project can be found at facebook.com/officialhumoru and thetrevorproject.org.