Meet Stacy Cay | Comedian, Model, Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stacy Cay and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stacy, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Up till I finished college, I was very risk adverse and played life very safely. But I wasn’t happy. At rock bottom of depression, lying on the bathroom floor from a hangover, I made a conscious decision to just for it (the proverbially “it” being the thing I wanted, but was too afraid to put effort into or risk failing for). Quickly my life started changing for the better. I changed a lot about myself: my gender, my home, my family, my career aspirations. I spent so long dreaming about doing comedy that I got tired and finally started doing it.

I’ve failed at a lot of things I started trying new things since then, but comedy is one that panned out. And it’s nice to know that I am actually bad at the things I failed at so I don’t have to wonder anymore.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve worked tirelessly, but I’ve had a lot of quick success in entertainment.

But becoming the person who is able to have success in entertainment was a struggle. I’m a trans woman from rural arkansas who was intentionally isolated by my family to try to prevent me from coming out. I spent 24 years trying to play the role of a man and that made me very unhappy. When I officially came out, I was disowned by everyone I knew, and had to leave town. Employment for us is hard, especially in the redder states I’ve been able to afford live in. A lot of trans women from these places aren’t so lucky, but I’ve been able to scrap out a living by doing things most people wouldn’t want to.

It took a lot to become the person who has the compulsion to get on stage to be heard. But it’s given me a pretty unique perspective to speak from, which has helped set me apart.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The times I’ve been in LA have all been for business, so you should not trust my recommendations.

That being said, I loved the Griffith observatory. It’s a beautiful building and view and I’m a slut for architecture.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ve had a lot of people help me, but one in particular is another comedian, Niles Abston. I found him online from a clip of a trans joke he made. He’s a cis comic, but he managed to get a big laugh out of trans material that didn’t put us in a negative light (which is a rare thing). I watched how he accomplished things and took notes. We’re both young comics who escaped the south, so a lot of ways he went about things were applicable to me. We’ve ended up doin a lot of shows together and hes given me a lot of valuable insight, and I can honestly say my life in comedy wouldn’t be the same without him. He just released his second special coming out on youtube “Household Name”, give it a watch.

Website: https://stacycay.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stacycay/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/stacycay

Image Credits
The picture with me in a sweater: John Asher Pic in me in the Leia outfit: Josh Santiago Pic of me in the pink shorts: Yui Tadokoro