Comedian Ian Harvie Speaks at Fordham

Comedian Ian Harvie spoke at Fordham on Feb. 18 to tell the story of how he became a transgendered person.  The speech was sponsored by PRIDE Alliance.

Harvie is an established comedian, known for raunchy jokes and poking fun at his situation; however, during the lecture he stepped back from the raunchiness and instead gave a light-hearted biography of himself, the man formally known as Janet Harvie.

"I was really moved by his story," Colin Croughan, FCRH '14, said. "It was really interesting and definitely something that I have never seen before."

As a little girl, Harvie was his mother's pride and joy. His mother had hoped to have a daughter for a long time and could not wait to clothe Harive in frilly bell dresses. Even at a young age, Harvie did not feel comfortable in these clothes. He tried to wear less girly clothing but his mother insisted that this was a bad idea.

"My mom would say ‘you can't wear that,'" Harvie said. "‘People will never like you if you wear that.'"

Growing up Harvie discussed how he would constantly play with the boys. Upon reaching puberty, he naturally became separated from his male friends and turned to drinking for comfort.

Harvie spent a lot of time talking about how he used alcohol to cope with his feelings of isolation, confusion and dissatisfaction.

"It [alcohol] kept me part of those group of boys," Harvie said.

Harvie also joked about the naughtiness he felt having sleepovers with girls.

​"It felt so dirty," Harvie said. "If only they knew I was a boy."

Harvie's tale developed into his realization that he was a lesbian. He found comfort in the term "butch."

​"That identity felt good for me," Harvie said.

Being a lesbian was not enough for Harvie, however, as a girl Harvie still felt uncomfortable being with other girls.

He realized that he was not just a lesbian. Something deeper was going on. After attending a public forum featuring a transgendered person, Harvie realized that he wanted to be a man.

"I felt an amazing sense of relief," Harvie said.

Harvie then decided to take hormones and undergo breast removal.

"It was really interesting how losing her breasts was such an important thing," Croughan said. "I didn't think that'd be so difficult in her life."

Harvie battled with the decision he made. He began thinking like his mother, believing that he would have no friends if he chose to become a man.

"I had thoughts like ‘people are going to think you're a freak,'" Harvie said. "No one will like you. You won't have any friends."

Despite fear, Harvie committed to his decision. Eventually he received acceptance from his parents, and most importantly, himself.

"He made it seem really normal and more human than it's talked about because it was a real genuine story,"  Croughan said. "It's because he was really friendly and comfortable."

​John Thornhill, FCRH '13, also changed his perspective based on Harvie's lecture.

"It made me realize that a transgendered person is just like any other person," Thornhill said.