Sam Serrano opened up on the reality of wearing make-up as a comedian, not letting the negative experiences deter them
Sam Serrano, from Wavertree, had their first gig at 14(Image: Sam Serrano)
A Liverpool comedian who got spat at said the incident made them even more determined to continue with their career. Sam Serrano, from Wavertree, was reportedly travelling to a gig when a man approached them in an alleyway on Church Road, in Ormskirk a few years back.
The then-20-year-old, who is non-binary and bisexual, said their attacker tapped them on the shoulder before hurling the abuse. They then claimed that the man called them a homophobic slur, before spitting on them.
Sam believes the disgusting incident came about because they were wearing makeup at the time, something they have done since they were a teenager.
At the time Sam told the ECHO: “It was upsetting but I wasn’t surprised by it. I get comments or snide looks in the street so often that it’s quite commonplace. What annoyed me most is that I wasn’t surprised it happened.” Fast forward to today and Sam said the incident has spurred them to continue to make a name for themselves in the comedy industry.
Sam Serrano, from Wavertree, is a regular performer at Hot Water Comedy Club(Image: Sam Serrano)
Sam said: “At the time I spoke out because I wanted to raise awareness of what was happening and even to this day, these things still do. Since then, I’ve grown a lot and the incident made me a lot more confident in who I am.
“I go on stage now easily, five or six nights a week, wearing make-up. Going in front of a crowd, where people don’t want to hear about make-up, being bisexual or non-binary, it’s quite an important thing to do if we want change.
Sam Serrano, from Wavertree, now performs all the country (Image: Sam Serrano)
“It’s made me realise that comedy isn’t really just a hobby for me. It’s much more important than that, it’s a form of activism. As long as you keep everyone laughing, you can still deliver the message. You can sneak it in and educate them without the audience directly noticing.”
Since the incident, Sam has travelled all over the country, entertaining thousands. Most weeks, their fans can catch them performing at the Hot Water Comedy Club.
Their main focus now however is an upcoming event in line with Liverpool Pride. Sam alongside other talent including AJ Rohan, Pheebs Stephenson and Joe Gurksi to name a few, will be coming together for It’s A Riot at Blackstock Market on Thursday, July 24. Tickets can be bought here for the 7pm slot.
Inside Blackstock Market(Image: Kyle J May)
Sam said: “There has been a change in society since the incident. For the most part, society has gotten more acceptive. For a long time, if it was a gig in a quiet village, it was the first time for many people seeing a biological male wear make-up. But now, most people have come across it before so it makes the situation easier.
“But there is still prejudice. I had a man tell me a few weeks back that he didn’t want to find me funny because I was wearing make-up, but he said he couldn’t help but laugh. I don’t think they would have said that to any other comedian. You still get these comments every now and then.
“The Pride gig is going to be good for us because I’m excited to go on stage in front of an audience of people like me. I’m so used to going up there and having to explain what non-binary is that it will be nice to perform in front of people who already get it.”