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At first glance, the connection between rape and comedy isn’t all that apparent. Perhaps not even at second glance.

But don’t tell that to Heather Jordan Ross or the group of comedians/rape survivors she has gathered, along with her co-producer Emma Cooper, for a touring show called Rape is Real and Everywhere (RIR&E).

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As one of the comedians quips in the show: “If you don’t laugh at these jokes, I got raped for nothing.”

They are going where few comedians have dared to go, using an example of a traumatic and violent violation as the jumping-off point for a comedy show they hope will spark some reflection and conversation about a topic they believe needs to be discussed, especially around the issue of consent.

The goal, Ross says, is to shed light on an important issue — not to make light of it.

To be honest, Ross’s rape survival story doesn’t sound funny at all. But the humour she has been able to find in a distressing situation has been her salvation.