Paula Poundstone on Equality & More

Comedian Paula Poundstone talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. Poundstone is a regular panelist on NPR'S hit weekly news quiz show, "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me," which won a Peabody Award for broadcasting excellence and is currently on tour with her own one-woman show. We recently caught her sold-out live performance in Provincetown. When Paula came on the comedy scene, she thought her lack of focus would be her downfall. Now it’s called spontaneity, not lack of focus. We had a chance to catch up with Paula about her show, the NPR series and LGBT issues. When asked what her personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights, Poundstone stated, “I think that I am an advocate of civil rights for all, I don’t know if it’s limited to one particular group. I am thrilled to death to see America maturing in the gay marriage arena. Although frankly, I’m not clear why anyone wants to be married but OK. I always thought that people’s argument against gay marriage has always been that it would somehow destroy the sanctity of marriage and I’m kind of a mind that whoever was in charge of the sanctity to begin with had kind of fallen asleep at the helm! I think it is exciting to live in a time when things are changing. I’m really excited when my daughter who’s in high school tells me ‘you know so and so is gay.’ I just marvel. Not because her friend is gay but that it’s casual information. It’s just when I was growing up, in high school, I was the class of ’77, of course there were many gays among my class, no one would ever have said so. Ever... So I think it’s thrilling and I try to emphasize that to my kids how lucky they are to be alive in a time when people can more or less be who they are.” Paula is headed to Alaska to record the NPR hit weekly news quiz show, “Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me”. Poundstone states “To have access to the NPR audience is pretty darn fun. They’re smart. They’re well informed. Not that I fall into either of those categories, by the way; less and less so as I grow older, in fact.” She adds her appearances on NPR actually improve her stand-up act and vice versa. For More Tour Info: paulapoundstone.com

Hear 90+ LGBT Leaders Interviews @OUTTAKE VOICES™