By Jonathan Riggs

This very funny lady (and lesbian mom) is sweeter than Country Time lemonade, sassier than the cast of 227 and appearing Dec. 2 in a Long Beach special being taped for LOGO.

What are you up to, Miss Vickie?

Cleaning the bathroom. Everything’s so glamorous here! (Laughs)

Are you excited about You Can Take The Girl Out Of Texas being filmed for LOGO?

Yes! I did one before called Wisecracks. That’s a new twist to my career: people telling me they saw me on television and now they’re a fan. Wow, that’s fun!

You describe yourself as the lesbian Bill Cosby. Whaaaa?

I say Bill Cosby because I’m a fan. He’s a storyteller, and that’s what I do, too.

Before your comedy career, you were married (with children) for 18 years, right?

Yes. I came out as a lesbian and a stand-up comedian all at once—in front of an audience!

Was that hard?

Coming out’s hard for anybody. But as for being onstage, I am so much more comfortable being in a crowd than in intimate situations, so that was easy. To come out in front of a crowd was just part of my catharsis, and it was cheaper than therapy. (Laughs)

As a comedian, have you come a long way since you started?

Oh yes. (Laughs) Dear Lord, yes. I am fascinated by the art form and always have been.

Even with a rowdy audience?

I love audiences—they’re fun! I’m not saying that sometimes it’s not painful—there’s those moments, too. I am not a genius. (Laughs) Now that I’ve done it as long as I have, when things don’t go well, I can laugh. That’s true of everything in my life: It’ll be funny one day! Maybe not today, but one day.

What’s your favorite fan experience?

I’ve had a lot of gay parents tell me that I have given them courage to come out to their children. When something like that happens, I remember there are places where you can lose your kids, your job—everything that’s important to you—because you come out. So to be able to make the people who are still afraid a little less so, to encourage gay people to be proud of themselves or to educate straight people—that means everything to me.

You’re moving back to Texas soon with your partner. What tips have you given her on being a Southern belle?

Gotta have some big hair, lots of color and sparkle.

What’s your advice for aspiring stand-ups?

Get onstage whenever you can and get a good, strong five-minute set. You can expand from there. I started because I didn’t want to look back on my life and say I didn’t try. I bombed my first time: five minutes on an open-mic night. I froze. I couldn’t think of my children’s names. To this day, I can honestly say I do not know why I went back. But I did.

Is it true what they say: Can comedy really be a bitch?

Yes, but if I were to ever come home to my partner, who works a 12-hour shift and has to worry about getting shot, and I’m like, “I had to wait 15 minutes for room service … I was livid!” I wouldn’t get a lot of sympathy. (Laughs)

Get tickets for You Can Take The Girl Out Of Texas, in Long Beach on Dec. 2, by visiting www.womenonaroll.com or calling (310) 578-8888. For more Ms. Shaw, visit www.vickieshaw.com.