Published: April 13, 2011

Glennis McMurray, the founder and editor-in-chief of TheGLOC.net, has a problem with the term “female comedians.” In a perfect world, people won’t feel the need to make such a distinction; a “female comedian” will be regarded simply as a comedian.

TheGLOC.net, written by and for the “Gorgeous Ladies of Comedy,” is attempting to do just that. In its soft-launch period, the website has received over 16,000 visits, interviewed dozens of prominent comedians and established itself as a large-scale comedy blog. The site, dubbed a community-building website, “focuses on the positive achievements and antics of all types of women doing all sorts of comedy across the world.”

The major inspiration for the website, according to McMurray, was to put an end to the divide between male and female comedians. “I think the main difference between male and female comedians is men tend to let their work speak for themselves, while women feel this constant need to let people know how good they are.” McMurray and the blog’s other frequent contributors hope that TheGLOC.net will let the world know that women have talent and can make it in the comedy world.

On March 31, the website hosted a gala launch party at 92YTribeca. The event, emceed by McMurray, featured some of the most talented and popular comedians working in New York City today. Kristen Schaal of “The Daily Show” and “Flight of the Conchords,” was the main attraction, reading several passages from her new book, “The Sexy Book of Sexy Sex,” including her own vulgar take on “The Vagina Monologues.”

Kambri Crews, a comedic writer and storyteller, read passages from her memoir “Love Daddy,” which accounts her difficult life growing up in Montgomery, Texas. For most writers, the devastatingly honest approach would make her life come off as tragedy. But Crews was able to weave a humorous and light-hearted tone into the oftentimes hair-raising childhood memories.

Jane Borden, author, comedian and editor, read from her new book,  “I Totally Meant to Do That,” which deals with the difficulty in making the transition from a proper Southern home in North Carolina to a life in New York City. “In North Carolina, you are taught to place your forks on the right side of the plate and to always sit straight. In New York, I’ve become the kind of girl that will burp at a restaurant and solicit a fist-bump,” Borden said.

The performances ended with Adira Amram and the Experience, who sang amusing dance songs with titles like “I Got A.D.D.” and “Come to My Pizza Party.” Backed up by two dancers and full of energy, Amram’s performance was a great way to end the night, leaving everyone with smiles on their faces. McMurray joined Amram on stage for the final song of the evening, the official TheGLOC.net theme song, which they first rehearsed “in the green room bathroom about 10 minutes before we went on stage,” McMurray said.

Throughout the night, there was a sense that things might actually be changing in the comedy scene—that female comedians, inspired by the likes of Tina Fey, Sarah Silverman and even Roseanne Barr, will be able to push through and add their voices to the comedy community.

“I think, based on the response from the launch party, that it is going to do nothing but strengthen the comedy scene as a whole,” McMurray said. It is important for female comedians to stop comparing themselves to their male peers, she said. McMurray hopes that TheGLOC.net will give women the courage and outlet they need to find their way in the largely male-dominated world of comedy.

Going forward, McMurray has big plans for TheGLOC.net. In the coming months, she plans to offer more original content, written and visual,  and to add more women to the blog-roll. She would also like to expand beyond New York City one day, reaching cities around the country, and hopefully, around the globe.

“So many amazing women are involved I just can’t imagine what is yet to come,” McMurray said. “But I know it will be outstanding.”