Comedian is gay, not sad or mad

Charlie Ballard:  Not Sad, Not Mad. Just FunnyYep, Charlie Ballard, gay Anishnabe/Sac/Fox and a little bit of Cherokee comedian who hails from San Francisco, is neither sad, clownish nor bitter. But funny he is; often irreverent and utterly at ease celebrating his gayness and Indianness; a comfort that makes some people squirm. And that’s okay too. What’s most important to Charlie is keeping his integrity while keeping folks laughing.

“If its one thing I won’t do in Hollywood, it’s sell out my Native culture,” he says, “You won’t see me war whooping around in my regalia trying to sell cheeseburgers for Burger King. I don’t care how tasty their cheeseburgers are. The main problem with Hollywood is that they still keep American Indian roles living in the western and 1492 genres. I don’t know why they think we can’t play doctors, lawyers, esteemed businessmen, or President of the U.S.A. without an arrow flying by.”