Comedian Matteo Lane’s didn’t have to come out. His job said it all.
“My coming out story?” Lane asked UF students. “I was working at Michaels.”
Students laughed as Lane coyly shrugged his shoulders with a smirk.
Lane carried on with a Mariah Carey impersonation and Food Network roasts at the Reitz Union on Friday, National Coming Out Day, a holiday founded in remembrance of the anniversary of the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
Lane, an LGBTQ+ advocate and New York-based comedian, performed for 280 students at Gator Nights hosted by Reitz Programming Board’s for National Coming Out Day. He was paid $5,500 from student activity and service fees.
Lane’s routine included jokes and personal anecdotes on his life as a gay man, which many of the attendees could relate to. His hour-long performance was followed by a Q&A session.
He worked as a television storyboard artist before starting his comedy career and later performed on comedy shows through Netflix, Comedy Central and late-night television.
Itzhak Nevati, a 22-year-old UF industrial and systems engineering fifth-year, said it was inspiring to see a gay man successfully represent the LGBTQ community, especially on National Coming Out Day.
“He’s very comfortable with his sexuality,” Nevati said. “I think that enables people to be who they are, to show people you can be successful no matter your sexual orientation.”
RPB has hosted National Coming Out Day events for three years, but this year is the first time the board has brought in talent for a Coming Out Day event, said Tori Chin, RPB vice president of external affairs.
Chin said the event used to be much smaller and outside of the Reitz Union — but group members wanted to expand the event as much as possible.
“We’ve seen the impact this event has had on people, and we wanted to make it bigger this year,” Chin said. “Each year we focus to make our events diverse and inclusive.”
AJ Ariondo, a 23-year-old UF history senior, has been watching Lane on Netflix and YouTube for about a year. His favorite anecdote of Lane’s is his story about Starbucks baristas chastising him for wearing fake glasses, he said.
“He lived up to expectations, which was super nice,” Ariondo said.
His favorite part of Lane’s show was the Q&A.
“Having a comedian who’s been there, who’s come out to his parents... it’s nice to have that sort of representation,” he said
Matteo Lane speaks to students during Gator nights Oct. 11, at the Reitz Union.
