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Loading ...Wanda Sykes Comes Out at Prop. 8 Rally
Comedian and actress Wanda Sykes officially came out this weekend, announcing to the estimated crowd of 1,000 gathered in Las Vegas at one of the many rallies for gay rights taking place around the country on Saturday that she’s gay, and that she legally married her wife in California on Oct. 25.
Sykes (who divorced her husband of seven years in 1998), has spoken out about gay rights issues many times in the past, recently participated in a campaign to fight anti-gay slurs, and has openly referred to her wife in some of her stand-up routines.But she has always declined to specifically discuss her sexual orientation publicly — until now.
“I don’t really talk about my sexual orientation," she told the crowd at the Las Vegas GLBT Community Center. "I didn’t feel like I had to. I was just living my life, not necessarily in the closet, but I was living my life."
"Everybody that knows me personally, they know I’m gay. But that’s the way people should be able to live their lives.”
But the passage of Proposition 8, she told them, spurred her decision to officially come out. “ We took a huge leap forward and then got dragged 12 feet back. I felt like I was being attacked, personally attacked — our community was attacked."
“Now, I gotta get in their face," she continued. "I’m proud to be a woman. I’m proud to be a black woman, and I’m proud to be gay.”
Sykes joins WNBA player Sheryl Swoopes as one of the few high-profile black women in America who have publicly come out as a lesbian or bisexual woman.
Just before the Nov. 4 election, Sykes talked about homophobia within the black community on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, acknowledging there are differences between the black civil rights movement and the gay civil rights movement, but saying, "discrimination is discrimination, and of all people, black people should know about discrimination."
Currently co-starring with Julia Louis-Dreyfus in the CBS comedy The New Adventures of Old Christine, Sykes — along with Jasika Nicole on the Fox sci-fi drama Fringe, and Kristen Vangsness on the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds — is one of the few out actresses currently playing a leading or supporting role on primetime broadcast television.
She and her wife are among the 18,000 gay and lesbian couples who married during the four months same-sex marriage was legal in California, including many lesbian couples in the entertainment industry.
Sykes said in her speech that she believes passing Proposition 8 will ultimately backfire on those who are against gay marriage.
"They pissed off the wrong group of people," she told the crowd. "They have galvanized a community. We are so together now and we all want the same thing and we shouldn’t have to settle for less. Instead of having gay marriage in California, no, we’re gonna have gay marriage across the country."
Read more of Wanda’s speech or
listen to it here (note: audio will begin to play)
Good for her!!!
Saw her show a few years back. That’s one funny lady.
Side note:
Isn’t it odd that Gay men and women will say that it’s a personal choice to come out and people have to do it at their own pace but knock “celebrities” for not coming out sooner? It may help visibility when famous people come out but they also have the right to do it when and where they choose.
I hope more people follow her lead and do it.
It would have been more helpful to come out before Prop 8 passed, no? Maybe she could have used her celebrity to raise money and speak out for equality? Better late than never, I suppose.
note to still-closeted celebrities for future battles: How about coming out and fighting for equal rights BEFORE these nasty referenda pass and not afterwards? Could be more helpful than what Wanda did, as wonderful as she may be (better late than never, I guess).
wat i luv about the movement this time around is that now we are more united and stronger than ever. there are so many more of us out there and being in the closet is so 90’s these days…we’re not hiding anymore! whoo.
Dear god, would everyone come out already? When we all do, all of us, the homophobes will realize that the world can’t keep turning without us. We conspire to keep this whole gay thing a big deal each time we “keep it private.” Come out, come out. Deal with the shit the rest of us had the guts to deal with, get over it, and get on with it. It really is that simple. When we trickle out one at a time after years of being “private” we confirm that there’s something to be scared of, ashamed of. Come out. Just do it.
I KNEW IT I KNEW IT!!! YOU GO GIRL! YOU ROCK!
When 24 returns in January, the President of the free world will be played by an out lesbian, Cherry Jones.
Wanda, you sure are a very funny person. I love your points of views. Saw you on Ellen a few weeks ago and agree with all both of you talked about. A writer asked if anyone wanted to come out, well I have{to a few close friends, all women} most of my friends seem to be married women. I have a great fear of strong male figures due to a rape I suffered in 1968 in San Jose by my step bastard{HE WAS NOT EVER MY FATHER} Anyway I have decided to speak out so here goes. My name is Doug Stitsworth, I am from Ohio and have lived in Indianapolis for a long time now. I am54 now, disabled with my left leg amputated due to staph infection caused by diabetes and thank God I am lucky enough to have medicaid and a small ssi check monthly. It changed my whole outlook on life and I’ve developed a positive attitude as a result. I am the one who has written all these sacarine letters to 365 on all types of articles. I love to get letters and actually write back, if you are looking for a pen pal, you can email me at godzillafreak@att.net I’ll answer, scouts honor. Love you and peace, Doug