SANDRA BERNHARD CUT FROM BENEFIT FOR PALIN GANG-RAPE JOKESandra Bernhard's recent cracks about Gov. Sarah Palin are no laughing matter, according to a Boston women's shelter.
Officials at Rosie's Place cut the comedian as a headliner from an annual benefit after she joked that Palin would be "gang-raped by my big black brothers" if she ever visited New York City.
Bernhard made the joke last month at a one-woman show in Washington shortly before the Republican vice presidential hopeful hit NYC to campaign. (She also criticized Palin for opposing abortion rights.)
Rosie's Place public relations director Leemarie Mosca said many women at the shelter have been victims of violence, and "we don't think violence against women is a laughing matter."
Added Mosca, "Right now, our main focus is our event and making sure the event is a success," Mosca told the AP. "And for us, that means not including Sandra Bernhard at this time."
On her Web site, Bernhard said the gang-rape joke was part of a larger piece from her show about "racism, freedom, women's rights, and the extreme views of Gov. Sarah Palin - a woman who doesn't believe that other women should have the right to choose."
Said the comedian: "I certainly wish Gov. Palin no harm - I'd just like her to explain to me how she can hold such outrageous views ... and then go back to Alaska." Usmagazine |
