The mountain, scribbled on a piece of cardboard, served as the backdrop for her online show during the Leicester Comedy Festival. Ives explained that it was not just a prop but a symbolic representation of the daily struggles faced by transgender individuals in Britain. She compared these struggles to climbing a hill while dealing with constant attacks. Despite the challenging topic, Ives assured that she was well-equipped to tackle it as a transgender person herself. Transgender visibility has increased in British culture, but this has also led to opposition to transgender rights in various forms of media. In the realm of stand-up comedy, where societal issues are often addressed, transgender issues have frequently been treated as a joke. During a recent phone interview, Jen Ives, a trans comedian, discussed her experience on stage and the pressure she felt to represent her community while just wanting to tell jokes. In Britain, unlike in the United States, both the political left and right have expressed concerns about allowing transgender women to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity, citing safety issues. JK Rowling, the author of the "Harry Potter" books, has been a prominent figure making such claims, leading to accusations of transphobia. In a 2018 study from UCLA, concerns about safety and privacy were found to be unfounded. Dan Healey, a scholar at the University of Oxford's Centre for Gender, Identity, and Subjectivity, stated in a phone interview that the discussion surrounding transgender rights in Britain is more prominent than in the United States. He explained that there is a debate among feminist groups in Britain about accepting transgender women as women. British comedian Jen Ives, who was in London on Feb 24, 2021, expressed concern that feminists who do not accept trans women are questioning their humanity. She stated that there seems to be an effort in the UK to dehumanize trans individuals. "We are often seen as something other than human. People see us as a topic of debate, an agenda, or a passing fad," Ives, who is 30 years old, expressed. She has been discussing her experience as a transgender person on stage since she began doing stand-up comedy in 2017, and it seemed that audiences appreciated someone addressing the topic. She explained that her show, "Peak Trans," was created in response to the negative atmosphere in Britain. "If you can make someone laugh, you may not change their beliefs, but you can at least show them that you are a real person," she said. In her performance, even when discussing the discrimination against transgender individuals, Ives always included lighthearted jokes. She mentioned that being transgender is not the only aspect of her identity, also revealing that she is a vegetarian. Despite wanting to go vegan, she decided not to in order to spare her father any additional stress. Transgender comedians have been performing in British comedy for many years. Eddie Izzard, a well-known figure, made headlines by stating she prefers she/her pronouns and wants to present as female. Debra-Jane Appleby, a trans stand-up comedian, won the Funny Women comedy award in 2005, while Bethany Black has been a fixture in British comedy for almost twenty years. Black has stated that people generally do not care about her being transgender, and she laughed when reminded of this during a recent interview. "Yeah, that has changed quite a bit," she remarked. In the past, there was a belief that there were only a small number of transsexuals in the world, maybe around 10 or 15, she explained. However, now the perception has shifted to thinking that they are more prevalent and are actively trying to participate in sports. Despite making jokes about transphobia during her performances, Black admitted that the ongoing debate surrounding transgender individuals in Britain has had a negative impact on her. She revealed that she was diagnosed with agoraphobia a few years ago, attributing a significant part of it to constantly feeling like she is fighting a battle. Additionally, Black expressed frustration with comedians and TV shows that rely on making cheap jokes about transgender people. James Acaster made fun of how many high-profile comedians use those types of jokes in their routines. However, many comedians would avoid making those jokes when they were performing on the same lineup as she was, according to Black. Despite claiming to be bold and pro-free speech, many comedians would not make those jokes when she was also performing. One exception to this was comedian Adam Rowe, who has a routine about Victoria's Secret not casting transgender or plus-size models in its shows. In a photo taken remotely, British comedian Bethany Black is shown on Feb 25, 2021. Black commented on the challenges of being transgender, stating that it is a daily reality for her, not just a hypothetical situation. She mentioned that many British comedians make jokes about transgender individuals, although they tend to avoid doing so when she is also performing. Brian, your hands are compared to shovels. Bethany Black, a British comedian who is transgender, spoke about her experiences and the jokes made about trans people by British comedians. Despite this, when she is on the lineup, those jokes are usually avoided. Rowe, in an email, defended the joke. He stated that the routine was not transphobic, but rather intended to trick those who are not paying attention into thinking it is. He mentioned that people often get caught up in buzzwords. Ives pointed out that she has seen non-trans comedians perform trans material that was funny, as she can laugh at herself. However, she also noted that it can sometimes feel like a cheap shot. She shared instances when she had to follow male comedians who made jokes about transgender women on stage, and she would usually respond by mocking them. Ives explained that this was her way of dealing with a difficult situation. "I would prefer not to." In her most recent performance, Ives slowly guided her audience through a metaphorical journey to the Peak Trans, pausing to poke fun at transgender individuals in sports and her own experience coming out. However, as they neared the summit, one topic came into focus. Apologizing, Ives announced, "We need to discuss JK Rowling." She started off with a joke about Rowling's latest novel "Troubled Blood," which includes a male killer who pretends to be a woman. Ives expressed her desire to be an activist and speak out against it, but noted the challenge given the book's length of 1,000 pages. Ives stated that Rowling's intention was for individuals like herself to avoid using women's spaces and instead use men's toilets. Ives then made a comparison between trans women and spiders, noting that they are both often more afraid of others than others are of them.