Sandra Bernhard on Caitlyn Jenner, 'Roseanne' and LGBTQ suicide

Be involved. Reach out to other people. Have faith in yourself no matter who you are. Know when to stop listening to other people and to listen to yourself.

These are some of the life lessons Sandra Bernhard, the brash comedian and actor known for her role in "Roseanne," shared during a recent phone interview. Of course, it's no surprise Bernhard mentions these life-affirming mantras when talking about her upcoming performance at Indiana Youth Group’s inaugural Shining Light Gala on June 18, which raises awareness about LGBTQ teen suicide.

After all, as a stand-up comic in the 1980s, Bernhard went against the grain of traditional gender stereotypes — she was independent, opinionated and very, very funny. Then, as Nancy Bartlett in "Roseanne," she became one of television's first iconic characters that was openly gay.

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"My work has always been about being a fabulous entertainer," she says.

That's her message to the countless teens in the country who are bullied on social media or are told that being gay — or being anything that's who they are — isn't OK: to be yourself, and be fabulous.

Bernhard's expansive body of work spans film, television, music and books. She's appeared in "2 Broke Girls," authored "Confessions of a Pretty Lady" and has released albums including "I'm Your Woman" and "Everything Bad & Beautiful." She spoke with the Star prior to her June 18 performance.

Why is the topic of LGBTQ teen suicide important to you? 

Kids, straight gay and otherwise now, are more susceptible than ever to suicide, because of social media and peer pressure and the ability for people in the far reaches of society to bully people and troll people. We’ve all been victims of that. It’s a terrible byproduct of social media. It’s easier and easier for kids to fall into that isolation and desolation.

My method has always been, be involved in life, be involved with friends. Get out of your head, and your machines and televisions and video games and go do something productive. Even if you’re someone who’s at risk, go out and reach other people because the more you reach out, the more we’re able to connect with humanity, the better off we are in terms of our socialization and our emotional state.

During your formative years as a teenager, how did people talk about being gay? 

Nobody talked about being gay. My friends and I were funny and audacious and rebellious. I knew I was bisexual in high school, and I didn’t have any problems with it. But there was no forum or platform for people to discuss being gay. It didn’t affect me in terms of my vision of myself. I knew I wanted to be a performer. I had a supportive family. I wasn’t really a victim of that.

Did you have any LGBT models growing up? Actors and performers that you looked up to? 

I wasn’t looking for that. It was a different world. You had Steven Sondheim, you had Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Burnett and Carol Channing, Mick Jagger and Tina Turner. There was such a wide array of rock stars who were obviously very ambiguous sexually. That’s what I drew my inspiration from. I wasn’t looking for sexual models. I didn’t need that. I was looking for artists who broke the mold and were revolutionary.

I wasn’t looking for approval for who I was sexually or any way. I was, as I am now, very independent, believe that you get on your path and you stay on your path.

There is a lot more representation of different kinds of people on television now. How do you feel about our current culture? 

There’s a lot of great things that are happening. There’s a lot of evolution and moving forward. And there’s a lot of things that are redundant and self-serving. I think people like Caitlyn Jenner are self-serving. I have absolutely no respect for her, whatsoever. Her politics are disgusting. They’re no different now than when she was a man, which to me is even more despicable. I don’t want her as a spokesperson for women. She’s not. She doesn’t respect women. She is misogynistic and sexist. She doesn’t believe in gay marriage. She’s a Republican. Why people keep holding her up as an example is counterproductive to the movement. It’s outrageous. Just stay in Hollywood and make your money and exploit what you’ve done. Yes, maybe she’s happy in a woman’s body, but that doesn’t mean I have to celebrate her. She hasn’t done anything for anyone except herself.

Caitlyn Jenner is sometimes talked about as being brave, or as a pioneer. But you think there are better ways to talk about trans identity? 

She runs around, she’s on the cover of Vanity Fair, and yet, she’s not evolving. She didn’t go from being a sexist, misogynistic, Republican man to being a liberal, smart woman who’s fighting for women’s causes and for gay causes. She shows up and someone hands her a script. This hasn’t been some sort of evolution. Everything she has said backs up my feelings about her.

What's your message to the LGBTQ community? 

I’m excited to be a part of this event, to be someone who I feel has been on the front lines as an independent thinker. Have faith in yourself no matter who you are. Know when to stop listening to other people and to listen to yourself. And find your path in life. It’s not easy for anybody. It’s particularly hard to be in these backwards settings, I agree, but the more you can draw on your own strength, the more you can cultivate it, even if you’re young, the more successful and happier you’ll be in your life. Just by what I do as a performer, I hope that speaks for itself. I don’t need to lecture people how to be. I like to use my work and my boldness as an example of what you can do with your life as opposed to what you should do with your life.

If you go

• What: Indiana Youth Group’s Inaugural Shining Light Gala 

• When: 7 to 10 p.m. June 18

• Where: NCAA Headquarters Grand Ballroom, 700 West Washington St.

• How much: $85

Call IndyStar reporter Wei-Huan Chen at (317) 444-6249. Follow him on Twitter:@weihuanchen.