Portrait by Celeste Slowman

ALOK (they/them) is an internationally acclaimed poet, comedian, public speaker, and actor. ALOK’s literary works “Beyond the Gender Binary,” “Femme in Public,” and “Your Wound, My Garden,” have garnered global recognition. Their dynamic presence has captivated audiences in over 40 countries, with sold-out shows at venues including Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and headlining numerous Just For Laughs Festivals. ALOK can currently be seen in Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda comedy special on Netflix and will take center stage at the Netflix is a Joke Festival in May 2024. Their show has been described as "provocative and powerful" (CHORTLE) and a "jaw-dropping celestial event" (TO DO LIST LONDON). For their contributions to culture and entertainment, they have been honored with the ACLU of Southern California Bill of Rights Award, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment Trailblazer Award, and were selected as the inaugural LGBTQ Scholar in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania. They are the subject of the docu-short “ALOK” executive produced by Jodie Foster and directed by Alex Hedison, which made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024. On screen, they can also be seen in Complicated Order opposite Midori Francis, The Trans List, and (forthcoming) Absolute Dominion opposite Patton Oswalt. On television, they can be seen on season 3 of the critically acclaimed HBO Max series SORT OF opposite Bilal Baig, Hulu’s Planet Sex with Cara Delevingne, ABC’s PRIDE: To Be Seen – A Soul of A Nation, Netflix’s Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness, and HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness.