Hannah Gadsby, lesbian comedian and award-winning star of the 2018 Netflix special Nanette, announced recently that she had gotten married last January.
In a post on Instagram, Gadsby introduced her wife, Jenney Shamash, a producer for her second Netflix special, Douglas.
Hannah Gadsby is off the market
The 43-year old Gadsby, who lives in Australia where marriage equality was legalized in 2017, posted a picture of the two of them eating ice cream.
She wrote, “I would like to introduce all y’all to Jenney Shamash. She is a producer extraordinaire. She is very funny and is really talented at reciting facts. It is a joy to behold.”
“We got married in January and we are very chuffed about it,” she then announced.
“For the record: this is me gushing. I am full of very positive feelings. This is a nice story. My heart felt thanks to everybody who voted for marriage equality,” she said.
In reaction, Gadsby’s fans expressed their joy on social media at the news as they congratulated the couple and thanked them for being an inspiration to others.
Supporting marriage equality in Australia
Gadsby had advocated the legalization of marriage equality in her country at the time, and condemned the need for a debate on the law while lamenting on how she grew up in the state of Tasmania.
In a Facebook post, she said, “I don’t want young kids to hear the kind of horrific bile I was forced to listen to in the 1990s when Tasmania debated on whether to legalize homosexuality.”
“For many, the debate was theatre. For me, it made me hate myself so deeply I have never been able to develop an aptitude for relationships,” she added.
She has already spoken openly about enduring homophobia throughout her life in her comedy. Her comedy special, Nanette, where she talked about sexual trauma, earned her an Emmy and a Peabody award.
Hannah Gadsby in Netflix’s Douglas
Gadsby worked with Shamash as the producer of her special last year, Douglas, wherein she talked about her diagnosis of autism.
In an essay for Vanity Fair, Gadsby wrote how her autism had affected her clothing choices.
She said she only wears “blue clothes because they have a calming effect on me, and I am very easily overwhelmed in public spaces. It’s a solution and I like it.”
She added that “with age and other unfolding maturations I am now able to comfortably live in the chosen comfort cocoon I call my clothes.”
“I would highly recommend you try it yourself, or at the very least allow others to wear whatever the hell they want for whatever reasons they choose,” she said.