Lea DeLaria (born May 23, 1958 in Belleville, Illinois) is a gay Italian-American comedienne, actress, and jazz musician.[1] The "famously controversial" DeLaria was "the first openly gay comic to break the late-night talk-show barrier" with her 1993 appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show.[2] Called "every inch and ounce a star," by The New York Times,[3] DeLaria has performed stand-up comedy for over 25 years and is an extremely prominent figure in the world of lesbian stand-up comedy, she is noted for her raunchy persona and inflammatory, irreverent political commentary, which have proven controversial inside and outside the gay and lesbian community.[citation needed] She began her career billing herself as "That Fucking Dyke"; she states "I called myself that because I would walk down the street and people would yell (it) at me. But after two years of performing I would walk down the street and people would yell (it) at me and I wouldn't know if they were a fan or not!"