Identity politics is a hot, yet complicated subject at the moment, so comedian Mae Martin has decided to approach the issue with humour, warmth and wit instead.
The Canadian comedian is a brilliant mix of clever, neurotic and goofy. And she fancies Canadian PM Justin Trudeau as much as we do, which helps in the likeability stakes. Her critically acclaimed show, Mae Martin: Us, on gender fluidity is insightful and really, really funny - and it's coming to London this month.
Here's 10 things you need to know about one of comedy's funniest rising stars:
"You're basically getting on stage and asking people, 'Do you guys like me? Do you like who I am?' But you grow pretty thick skinned. And the less scared you seem, the more people like you anyway."
"I convinced my mum and dad to take me to a comedy show when I was 11. We were sitting on the front row and the comedian asked me to come up on stage and say these weird things about Pamela Anderson. They thought I was a boy so when I announced at the end that I was a girl , everyone laughed and, oddly, I was hooked. My parents thought it would traumatise me, but it just got me into comedy."
"My parents weren't thrilled, but they're ok about it now. It's paid off - but it has to; I have no qualifications!"
"People just notice more if a comedian feels down because there's such a juxtaposition to making people laugh, but there's probably no more depressed people in comedy than any other industry. There's probably more depressed dentists and bankers."
"A Canadian comedian once told me that when you first go out there to imagine that you're actually just going back out for the encore, that all the clapping is because they've already seen you do your thing and they want to see more. You can train your mind to do anything."
"There's been a shift in people not feeling they have to label their sexuality. In fact, I read that 40 percent of under 25s identify themselves as 'other' when asked if they were gay or straight. And that's how my parents brought me up. I never even needed to come out. They were more worried about me dropping out of school than who I was dating. We need to reframe the way we think about sexuality."
"The world might be pretty dark, but at least Zayn Malik's album is good."
"It's not that I'm going back in the closet - and I do understand that some people are still fighting for the right to come out - but more that we shouldn't label other people. Self identify all you want, but I hate it when friends introduce me as their 'gay friend'. You're essentially talking about someone's sex life. It just seems a bit archaic."
"It's a slightly big name, Mae Martin's Guide to 21st Century Sexuality, considering I'm not sure how much I really know about all this, but it'll be good."
"He's just so good. Did you see him and Barack Obama messing around together? I mean, wow."
Mae Martin's show, Mae Martin: Us, opens at Soho Theatre on 31 May until 4 June. For more information visit Sohotheatre.com.
