Jake Mace
Gabrielle Leonore’s upcoming EdFringe show My Life as an “Inspirational Porn” Star! charts her life story, filled with candid anecdotes about sex, drugs, and the aspects of life no one prepares you for – especially as an autistic woman. We caught up with Gabrielle for a pixelated pint to find out more about why she decided to bring her story to the stage.
You can catch My Life as an “Inspirational Porn” Star! from July 31st to August 11th at Just the Snifter Room at Just the Tonic at The Mash House from 20:35 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake: Hi Gabrielle! Your upcoming EdFringe show has a very intriguing title – tell us about what it means and what inspired the show.
Gabrielle: Thank you! I genuinely think the title alone helped us have a strong domestic debut at the Tampa International Fringe Festival. Of course, huge credit also goes to our incredible Social Media Slayer Mitch Sims, who killed it with the marketing.
The “inspiration” comes from late activist and disabled comedian Stella Young, who coined the term to describe the heartwarming stories that objectify disabled people for simply living their lives, usually told from the perspective of someone indirectly affected by disability—like a parent, teacher, or sibling—rather than the disabled person themselves. When I first heard the term on the podcast, Spectrumly Speaking, a lightbulb went off. I finally had the words to explain why I didn’t want to make my life experience more palatable or serve as a vehicle to make others feel better about my experience. So, by calling myself an “Inspirational Porn” Star, I reclaim the narrative and get to express the messy, complicated parts of life on my own terms. Honestly, it’s more fun and interesting that way—don’t you think?
Jake: Tell us about what the audience can expect coming into the show, and what they might not expect about the show.
Gabrielle: The audience can expect a woman fully confident in her skin—baring it all, emotionally at least. I’m not stripping for 5 pounds…no matter how strong the pound is right now. Okay, maybe when you put it like that…Nope! Just emotional vulnerability—for now. This show blends stand-up, burlesque, and existentialism, so there’s truly something for everyone.
What people don’t always expect, especially based on audience feedback, how emotional the journey becomes. Through this project, I’ve realized just how much I use humor as a defense mechanism (could be worse, right?). But that humour has allowed to speak the truth—not just about my life experience as a bisexual autistic woman, but something that taps into the collective feminine consciousness. That alone is radical in today’s world. I don’t think people realize what I am bringing to the biggest stages in the world—and I can’t wait to show them.
Jake: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?
Gabrielle: What I really hope audiences take away is that, despite all the labels placed on us by society, by others, even our loved ones—we’re all just trying to be human. And that alone is hard enough. I want people to discover their own strengths—not just in the “resilient” moments, but in the breakdowns, too. That’s where the real bravery lies: choosing to be present in it all and continuing anyway. If even one person leaves thinking, “I feel seen,” I know I’ve done what I was meant to do.
Jake: With Edinburgh Fringe 2025 just around the corner, what are you most excited for?
Gabrielle: Honestly, this will be the first time in Europe—let alone performing my own one-woman show in Edinburgh Fringe! It’s a series of huge firsts, and getting to share this journey with my best friend and collaborator, Mitch Sims, is honestly a dream come true.
I’m excited to take it all in: the city, the energy, all of it! I can’t wait surround myself with like-minded creatives and perform in a space where what I’m saying is taken seriously and sincerely. That kind of cultural shift feels both refreshing and, in the best way, insidiously intoxicating.
Jake: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?
Gabrielle: My Life as an “Inspirational Porn” Star would have to be a dirty gin martini, obviously—sophisticated, sassy, and classy. It’s also also how I like my martinis—filthy like my jokes and cloudy like my sexuality. I’d rather shake things up, rather than stir silently in the background.
Plus, I’d look great with either a guy or girl in a suit. Maybe both? Just throwing that out there.
A reminder, you can catch My Life as an “Inspirational Porn” Star! from July 31st to August 11th at Just the Snifter Room at Just the Tonic at The Mash House from 20:35 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
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