While the sets obviously address transphobia, the creation of “Gender Agenda” was more of a celebration of comedians who gained success in a field so heavily dominated by cis men — as exemplified through the special’s own host platform.

In the same year that Netflix hosted the “Gender Agenda” special, it also premiered a new special from Joe Rogan: “Burn the Boats.” Rogan has used his platform — as the host of the largest podcast in the United States — to repeatedly spread hate and misinformation toward transgender people, including saying that trans women are “invad[ing] feminist spaces” and describing the acceptance of this alleged invasion as “an end-of-an-empire discussion.”

Netflix also continues to platform Dave Chappelle, giving the man three new specials in the past four years on their streaming service. For Chappelle’s 2021 special, “The Closer,” Netflix employees even staged a walkout over the company’s choice to amplify the comedian and called for the company to release more “intersectional” content.

Three years later, that is what “Gender Agenda” is trying to do. Still, it was released just a year after Chappelle’s “The Dreamer” (2023), which of course featured continual tirades about transgender people.

In one user review of “Gender Agenda” on IMDb, the reviewer, in a 3 out of 10-star review, called the special “box-ticking” and “pandering.” Strangely, I agree. Gadsby did an amazing thing by using their platform to give a space for up-and-coming comics, which should hopefully lead to their own specials — that is if Netflix is willing to give them.

One out of 32 specials is not enough to dedicate to genderqueer people. The fact that the special was able to get eight funny people is enough to prove that Netflix has the option to give space for underrepresented voices. They are just choosing not to do so.

Non-men accounting for less than a quarter of this year’s comedy specials is embarrassing. It is not difficult to find funny people of all gender identities. It is not difficult to find women and gender-nonconforming individuals grinding to make it in the comedy world. Yet, these intense barriers still exist. It is truly an easy fix to premiere more shows like “Gender Agenda.”

When comedy clubs in the United Kingdom were called out for gender imbalances in shows, one club, Hot Water Comedy Club, responded by saying it would be difficult to host more women “without compromising the overall quality of the show.” The venue also said 85 to 90% of the people who apply for a spot are men.

“The reality is that certain professions, including stand-up comedy, naturally have gender imbalances,” the comedy club’s statement also read. It should not be this way, and it is not natural. The issue is not a Hot Water Comedy-specific issue, they were only one of many called out.

It’s important for companies such as Netflix or comedy clubs everywhere to actively make room for women and gender nonconforming individuals. When what is represented in the comedy world is man after man, it makes sense there would be fewer non-men applicants. The language used within the statement could also be discouraging to women wanting to try their hand at performing.

Change cannot happen overnight, but simply providing space for underrepresented voices to do comedy should not still be a challenge in 2024. The beautiful thing about comedy is that any person can be funny. It’s an art form that should have no barriers. Funny is funny, no matter who it is from. It’s a shame that certain identities aren’t able to share that.

​​Kimberly Aguirre is a senior writing about comedy. Her column, “Comic Relief,” runs every other Tuesday. She is also the editor in chief of the Daily Trojan.