Shakespeare’s adage “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” certainly applies to comedienne Margaret Cho, who has used her time on stage to raise awareness. So many intimate details of her life are known, thanks to her stand up act, that fans may be surprised to learn this tidbit about her.

“I have long advocated that there should be dog prostitutes,” said Cho, before delving into the rather sweet reasons for her belief. “I love dogs. Of all of the things that I love, they are my greatest love. I’m away from home now, and I miss them so much, there’s three of them. Sometimes I’ll take all of the different pillows that you get in a hotel room, and I’ll arrange them on top of my body when I’m sleeping because it feels like they’re my dogs’ bodies.”

But, dog prostitutes? Cho doesn’t suggest decking out Fido in a halter top, short shorts and high heels, and commanding him to sit and stay on the corner until he earns a coin.

“You can get in a hotel, check in, and you could get one like your dog or very different,” Cho said. “And you could have them for the night, and you could pet them, hold them and walk them.”

Aside from Pimp My Pet (one name entertained for dog brothels) Cho talked with the Gay and Lesbian Times about the different stages of her life in the public eye – the aforementioned stand up act, her recent stint as part of “The True Colors Tour,” her upcoming movie Bam Bam and Celeste and her appearance in the off-Broadway burlesque variety show, “The Sensuous Woman.”

These projects are how the multi-faceted Cho uses her time on stage as a political platform. Sharing her views in a public forum is second nature for the funny lady with a message. Her early days of stand-up were more shtick than sticking it to “The Man,” and maturity was the catalyst for incorporating more than just comedy into her act.

“I think as you get older your world view expands naturally,” she said. “So, a big part of it is that. I realize that there are ways I can actually change things, there’s the realization that this is a public platform that can be very useful in helping people.

“Over the years talking to so many different people who have seen my work, and been able to come out of the closet or been able to share that with people really inspires me to want to go further. Yet, at the same time I want to remain a comedienne, and I don’t think I would ever want to go into politics.”

Cho’s left-leaning material has made her the target of conservative detractors, who have labeled her as controversial. Of them, Cho says, “I think it’s just lazy thinking. And it’s also fear of what they don’t understand and an unwillingness to be compassionate about different types of people. I can’t even imagine what would be controversial about saying it’s not only OK to be gay, it’s great to be gay.”

It’s that type of sentiment that draws gay audiences to Cho’s performances. Her gay street cred is furthered by her role as a champion of GLBT issues, including the Human Rights Campaign’s “True Colors Tour,” of which Cho was the Mistress of Ceremonies.

“I think just hanging out with Cyndi (Lauper), she’s a wonderful person and so funny and warm,” said Cho, of her favorite aspect of working the tour. “She was teaching me how to sing, so I felt like I was on ‘American Idol.’ I totally felt like Sanjaya.”

Cho will also take part in “The Sensuous Woman,” a melding of burlesque, stand up, sketch comedy and belly dancing in a variety show format that celebrates women’s bodies.

“I wanted to create these shows, like ‘Sonny & Cher’ and ‘Donny & Marie,’ where they have these variety shows and they’d have special guests on, but they were based around showcasing all of those different kinds of talent,” Cho said. “And that to me was so appealing and I wanted to create a show like that. So that’s what ‘The Sensuous Woman’ is, and it’s also to promote body image. So this show has women getting naked and men getting naked – but, they are all over 40, which is hot!”

The show’s message resonates with Cho, who has been vocal about her lifelong struggles with eating disorders and body image, one she attributes to “a lack of real images of real women’s bodies.”

“We don’t see them in movies, on TV, in magazines,” she said. “Instead, we are force-fed a steady diet of unattainable ideals, a tyranny of slenderness and youth, goals we can’t even aspire to, they are so far out of reach.”

“The Sensuous Woman” will begin a four-week, limited engagement, which begins at The Zipper Factory in New York City on Oct. 6. And if Shakira happens to attend, Cho just may challenge the Colombian “Hips Don’t Lie” diva to a belly-dancing contest.

“Well I would win because, while Shakira is a great belly dancer, I’m a little bit better,” she said, laughing.

And on Aug. 14, Cho will celebrate the DVD release of Bam Bam and Celeste, a comedy about a couple of road tripping pals on their way to The Big Apple. The movie played the festival circuit and had Cho donning a few extra hats. She plays dual roles in the film and penned the screenplay, too.

“It was fun and it was hard,” Cho said, “because when you play dual roles you have to be there for both of the versions; there’s a double who is going to do your role and it switches out, so it’s very difficult. I enjoyed doing the film, its fun to write a story and have it actually come to life like that. It’s pretty magical. I did have a lovely time doing it, but it was a lot of hard work.”

And, as her track record shows, Cho is no stranger to getting her hands dirty to fight the good fight. With fierce determination and a healthy sense of humor, she manages to remain fabulous in the line of fire.