Wanda Sykes: "I'm Proud To be Gay"

LAS VEGAS — Comedian Wanda Sykes says the passage of a same-sex marriage ban in California has led to her be more outspoken about being gay.

"You know, I don't really talk about my sexual orientation. 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," Sykes told a crowd at a gay rights rally in Las Vegas on Saturday.

"Everybody that knows me personally they know I'm gay. But that's the way people should be able to live their lives," she said.

Sykes, who is known for her feisty and blunt style, said the passage of California's Proposition 8 made her feel like she was "attacked."

"Now, I gotta get in their face," she said. "I'm proud to be a woman. I'm proud to be a black woman, and I'm proud to be gay."

Sykes' appearance at the Las Vegas rally surprised organizers. She was in town performing at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

Comments

[wanked]

Wanda Sykes...Funniest Woman Alive. THANKS

[nouributz]

Being "proud" is just as divisive as being tolerant. It is a sign of highest arrogance that we claim to "tolerate" gays, or other races, other religious views... or the color of our neighbor's house. You don't need to be proud of being gay, you should just be it. Being proud draws a line between me and thee. Lets get rid of those boundaries.

[RadLeftVetPatriot]

Hear, hear! Well said.
But my neighbors house is Pepto-Bismol pink. I tolerate it.

[klandish]

They must not be Gay.

[bjefrz]

that's nonsense. You can be proud of who you are without holding any negative feelings about anyone else. Love of self is not the same as hate of anyone else.

[Marco]

You need to consider the history and the present.

Gay "pride" is an answer to the "shame" that we have had thrust on us for years from the less-enlightened and ignorant.

Once gay people are allowed to live their lives openly and without some idiot fools screaming at us, "pride" will fall by the wayside.

We are only proud of being gay because we recognize it as just another human trait - it's an extension of our being happy to be human. When others quit treating being gay as some huge deal (which it is not), then we'll just live our lives with happiness in our hearts and we won't care one whit about declaring our pride.

[mymic1]

When did she openly become gay?
seriously...
i definitely remember an interview where she said she was married to the guy who played "Pootie Tang"....

really.

[Strepsi]

Here's a clip of Wanda on Gay Marriage - awesome.
LOVE YOU WANDA.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IHdaJOZe7E

[AlligatorShuz]

I don't like her comedy and I don't think she is really that funny! If the black community in California was the largest group that vote down Prop 8 then why aren't they protesting at black churches in Watts and other areas in Los Angles, Oakland, San Francisco? Or are they afraid to go to the ghetto and attack the black church? Wanda Sykes isn't attacking the black community or the black church on what they did because those black preachers were getting up in their churches telling their members how to vote.

[Strepsi]

Not everyone can - or should - fight using anger. Sykes (and Ellen) use accessible humor, and it wins a lot of hearts and minds. Wanda Sykes has been fighting the lack of logic of anti-gay-marriage groups in her act for ages, i.e.:
"You don't like gay marriage? Then don't marry a gay person! You want to protect marriage? Then don't get divorced!"
LOVE IT.
And if you don't like her, ALligatorShuz?
"Don't find Wanda Sykes funny? Then don't go to the show!"
:P

[avenue]

Blacks only make up 6.2% of California.

So to single out black churches would be a waste of time, seeing they clearly can't bare the majority of the blame. If you want to blame churches, blame ALL of the ones that preached this hateful, political message in their pulpit. At least then, you'll be reaching a whole lot more people.

[bokiluis]

I am gay and I am black but more importantly, I am a human being.

Your comment is totally off base Alligatorwhateva. Have you ever considered the racism that is still prevalent in the gay community?

Maybe, just maybe, if we all first treated each other as human beings these sorts of attacks would be minimal. I stand conflicted on this issue when comments and sentiments like yours surface. I don't support the fear and dogma coming out of black and hispanic religious congregations either.

However, if the gay community wants equality on all levels, then we, as a gay community, need to examine the racism that exists within our community as well.

[dohnjackson]

I agree equality on all levels. But I suport the peoples vote. It is true the most people do not understand the issues. Education did not get the vote out for support of Gay rights. The vote is in your do not go after other peoples beliefs to justify your own. You do not slant the courts to justify your rights. It is the people there beliefs and there gut feeling that you have to respect. It as always been the majorty not the minorty. You change ones view by education, you answer the qustions that arbor the feeling that both sides carry. Until then you only spread mix feeling nothing gets done and the wounds get deeper.

[SFMuscular]

Let me give you a brief history lesson because you may be too young to know this. The largest white contingents at civil rights marchs in the 1960's and 1970's were Jews and gays. Gays showed up to support civil rights for African Americans at every rally, even when shunned by many Blacks. So, don't be surprised when older white gays (that includes me) and especially older Jewish gays (also me) are a bit disappointed and vocal about being abandoned by so many African Americans.

That said, the NAACP has just last Friday sued the invalidate Proposition 8 saying that the NAACP believes that sexual orientation discrimination is a violation of civil rights; tha the civil rights of gays and lesbians is equal in imporance to the rights of Black and women and that an attack on the rights of gays and lesbians to marry is an attack on everyone's civil rights. So African American civil rights leadership has this issue right and I for one am grateful.

[revko]

You need to take better notes when watching Fox News. Their ugly misinformation is that the black community (whatever the hell that is) voted FOR Prop 8.

As was pointed out earlier the black population of California is so small that if every single black voter voted FOR Prop 8 it would not be enough to pass.

Besides no black churches from other states gave money or phone bank volunteers.

The Mormon church did.

[RadLeftVetPatriot]

AND they put their pre-teen daughters on street corners with hate signs at rush hour.

[dct1999]

Do you honestly believe that a woman who states she is proud to be black would think that attacking her own community would be a smart move. Seriously?

The key to change is outreach and education, not attacks based on misinformation from those who seek to divide. The people coordinating the marches are obviously smart enough to know that "attacking" black churches would be insanely stupid and counterproductive. It's a good thing you're not in charge of anything. You'd set gay rights back by about a century if you had your way.

[ejackson21st]

I didn't know Wanda was gay, I did know that she is hilarious!

I went to the Prop H8 demonstration today in Los Angeles. I told that to several of my friends who asked me what I did today. They were shocked. I am Black and not gay. I h8 mindless discrimination. I told my friends that I will attend every demonstration in the LA area, every weekend if I need to, until gay people have the right to marry. I mean it too!

I've lost three of my religious friends of over 25 years due to Prop H8 and my support for overturning it. That really saddens me, but I guess knowing how callous they feel towards gays and lesbians marrying saddens me much more.

Stranger still is that I'm twice divorced and until Prop H8 passed I couldn't understand why anybody would want to promote marriage of any kind. I'll certainly never marry again. But if gay people want it, then they have every right to it and I'll back them till the day I die.

I left the march and went and delivered food to the homeless. My friends (who are good people) don't seem to understand why I do that either.

[XCITIZEN]

You fill my heart with happiness!

[Stephen]

It has been suggested that the right wingers are lacking empathy- whether genetically or learned. I sure didn't see the "compassionate" part of "compassionate conservatism." I live in the reddest f rad states and don't entirely buy this theory because on an individual basis I see conservative kindness albeit it expressed most easily toward other conservatives. But somewhre they miss that their rights and the privileges they enjoy were conferred by others and previous generations that cared about the happiness of others besides themselves.

For you personally, i hope you continue to have empathy and I know from experience, you will collect other empaths to you. Much richer friendships...AND it is the right thing to do.

[GregJL]

"I see conservative kindness albeit it expressed most easily toward other conservatives."

That would be because to conservatives, only other conservatives are deserving of their kindness and charity.

[Marco]

You are simply an awesome person. Thanks for sharing your story.

[ejackson21st]

Thanks a lot to the 3 of you who replied! I feel a lot better.
eric

[Sweetie4Obama]

Another straight, black woman here who agrees with you. For a long time, I was one who never cared whether or not gays had the right to marry (was neither for nor against it). However, now I'm more for it than I could ever be. And, like you, if I lived in the L.A. area, I'd be protesting along with them as well.

[Adrienne Williams - Huffpost Blogger]

Congrads, now if all of them can come out!!! The world would be a better place... great she did it...

[LiberalBuzz]

Right on Wanda,now use your stage pulpit to bury those bigots when you can.....hilariously of course.

Would have been nice if you had come out months in advance to try and help sway the black vote which floored me in their support of Prop H8, hatred, and outright bigotry. As a well respected, and famous gay black woman who could have made serious appearances whenever and where ever, especially maybe black churches? Well who knows.

[Zhou]

As a straight black woman, when I heard the ban was passed, I was saddened by it. To be honest, I did not pay much attention to the fight, and only understood the issues peripherally. I was discussing the election with a friend of mine in England a day after the election and we both hoped the results would swing the other way by the end of the count.

I am a black woman, I get it. I'm used to people accusing me of things I have not done, things I would not do, and things I didn't even think about doing. I have learned to be amused by it.

But, you know what since you've decided black people that are, from different estimations, 7-10% of the electorate caused 52% of the population of the state of California to vote yes, then maybe every black person should vote to ban gay-marriage if and when it gets to their states. At least then when black people are accused of something, like our race makes us a monolithic group, it will be true!

Unfortunately, for me.... I just can't do it. I guess this is something else I need to program myself to be amused by so no one else takes away a minute of my joy.

[DaisyDooks]

Another, straight black woman here, too. I don't understand why people have to vote on Prop 8. Isn't this a legal matter for the state legislature? Why is it an electable option? Was there a proposition to be voted upon to grant marriage to heterosexual couples or was the law just placed onto the books by lawmakers? How does Prop 8 affect non-gay people? Frankly, I don't care if gay people get married. This has been blown way out of proportion and spun so many ways to create unnecessary hysteria, divisiveness and blame.

[DaisyDooks]

On a philosophical level, I grow tired of gay people equating their causes to that of black people and the civil rights movement. The experiences are no way similar. Wait, let me clarify that - white gay people. Because of the social construct of race in America, white gay people already have privilege and entitlement. White gay people tend to be members of the wealthy class. White gay people own and run Hollywood. White gay people sit in various seats of power in the public and private sectors. You can say that as quiet as it is kept, white gay people run the country!!

Homosexuality is as old as man's presence on this planet. Some religious groups are in denial of this fact that they gloss over the evidence written in their biblical texts and scrolls.

When one is truly spiritually enlightened, race and gender no longer matter.

[NoSillyName]

Hey, DD, guess you don't know too many "white gay people". Not one that I know are members of the "wealthy class". Your statement is laughable.

[XCITIZEN]

White gay people run the country? Oh, that is hilarious. Delusional, but hilarious.

[Marco]

I work "in Hollywood" and I can assure you that "white gay people" most certainly do NOT run the place.

Regardless, I don't understand why it's important for you to put discrimination on a continuum - it is ALL abhorrent.

[LiberalBuzz]

WOW, so you are saying White Gay People who, according to you, run Hollywood and the most of the world HAVE NEVER been discriminated against, have never been MURDERED for who they are, have never lost jobs or been denied jobs for being gay, or have been denied a place to live for being gay?

Really you are that ignorant?

[canucksam]

Well, that's mighty big of you, Daisy - too bad the folks around my hometown weren't as enlightened as you when they beat the snot out of me for being different. Or found ways to "let me go" if (and only if) they found out I wasn't quite straight-arrow, though my work record and reviews were stellar. Or the apartments that were often "just rented" -- at least for the hour when I applied at the rental office.

No, being white and gay is not the same as being Black or Latina/o or Asian, whether straight or gay. But there's a level of discrimination that we also feel, and it is very real.

[dct1999]

The gay community has plenty of racists. Are you floored by that?

It isn't Wanda Sykes job to sway the black vote. That was the job of the people who were in charge of anti-prop 8 groups. Since they didn't see the need to make any serious outreach/education attempts to black people, why should anyone else.

Why couldn't white gays convince 1/3 of the white people who voted yes on 8 to change their minds? Why were they unable to sway enough of their own relatives, friends and neighbors to support them?

Less than 300,000 black people voted yes on 8 vs. over 2,000,000 white people and hundreds of thousands of latinos and asians. Your selective outrage is stupid.

[LiberalBuzz]

YES it is part of her job, IF she is going to say she oppsoed Prop H8 to stand up and oppose.

Just EXACTLY are those people who are the only one who are supposed to work against Prop H8? So Wanda should have done nothing because people like you think only CERTAIN other people should work to oppose Prop H8?

Wow, you need to join the 21st Century.

[Giada]

"If you don't believe in gay marriage, simple, don't marry a gay." Wanda Sykes

Her standup comedy is great.

[Bettysdad]

Wanda, you're still welcome to come over and spend the night.

[ajm8127]

Go Wanda. Proposition 8 is not constitutional!

[TheKidd]

didn't know she's gay. more power to her.

[BetterAmerica]

She is hilarious in Curb Your Enthusiasm

[enveg01]

Good for her! We love you Wanda!

[rasputin999]

Way to go girl! I like women too, so I must be a male lesbian.
Mummy took it very well, but daddy won't talk to me!

[Marco]

Male lesbian.

I've never heard anybody crack that joke before.

For a much fresher take on the old cliche, might I suggest a little Eddie Izzard:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPML-n1kRnY