Page Hurwitz’s Netflix documentary, Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution, includes queer notables from Wanda Sykes, Rosie O’Donnell and Lily Tomlin to Joel Kim Booster, Fortune Feimster and Bob the Drag Queen.

It shows how LGBTQ funny people have left their mark and challenged others’ perceptions for more than a century.

“None of these comedians set out to change the world; they set out to make people laugh,” Hurwitz said. “And along the way, they did change the culture and, they changed the world.”

The docu ranges from vaudeville entertainers and pioneers such as comedian-actress Moms Mabley and female impersonator Rae Bourbon to variety shows and LGBTQ cruises.

The scope is wide, from the Stonewall Riots and HIV and AIDS to the feminist movement and politics of the Reagan and Clinton administrations.

Key Moments and Movements

“When you explore the history of queer stand-up, in the modern era, it’s very much a female driven story and there are reasons for that.

Women Led the Way

Our history is this intergenerational torch pass and we all influence each other, but the comedians I interviewed said women really led the way,” the director explains. “AIDS was also devastating.  Scott Thompson (The Kids in the Hall) talks about it, but it wasn’t possible to start because there was so much homophobia. Then we lost a generation of men who could have been terrific comedians, but we didn’t get to see their entire careers.”

Among those singled out for bravery and impact is comedian-activist Robin Tyler. A feminist and out lesbian since her teens in the 1950s, she was the first comic to come out on national TV back in 1978.

After speaking onstage during TV special about her identity and slamming infamous anti-LGBTQ crusader Anita Bryant, Tyler lost work, with ABC canceling a variety show with her and partner Pat Harrison.

While the film also shows anti-gay material by the likes of Sam Kinison, Eddie Murphy, Mel Brooks, and Andrew Dice Clay, the focus stays on perseverance and celebration, seen at the triumphant Netflix Is a Joke group show.

It’s a gathering comedian Todd Glass says would have turned down only a decade ago. “I wouldn’t have even wanted to have been associated with a gay-related show. I would have said, ‘No, I don’t want to brand myself. I do stand-up. I happen to be gay,’ ” Glass says at Jungle Bird’s, where the doc’s stars gathered after the premiere to celebrate Hurwitz’s endeavor.

“But 10 years later, obviously, I feel completely different — and I’m glad that I do.”

Yet fear of association, and the real threats that sexuality or nonconforming gender expression can present to personal and professional life, remains a palpable theme.

“There’s the fear that an adjective will eclipse your identity,” says Guy Branum.

As the docu shows, threats to LGBTQ comedians have not subsided, with trans performers facing vitriolic attacks similar to those experienced by gay acts in the ’80s. “I’ve had moments where I’m scared to go out there. I’ve had a lot of moments where I’m on a lineup and I see so many people making fun of trans women in their act, and I see an audience of people laughing at it,” says comedian Roz Hernandez. “I don’t want to entertain this audience, but I go out there anyway because I’m not going anywhere.”

Even in the face of backlash, Hernandez and counterparts like Patti Harrison, River Butcher, Georgio and Booster are rejecting fear and coming as their full selves — onstage and off. “I’m really not concerned with getting labeled as XYZ comedian,” Booster says. “Stand-up is great meritocracy. People aren’t laughing at me because of labels. They’re just not.”

Audiences are laughing at queer comedians’ unique perspective and their “understanding that your own perspective is not the default,” Branum says. It’s what makes queer comedians who they are, and they’re offering it up onstage now more than ever. “What’s expanding is now people are really identity-forward. A lot of comedians are publicly talking about being nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming,” says Cho. “It’s a new era of comedy, and that’s really exciting.”