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

[noamjunior]

Ive always thoght Sykes was an underused comic- always funny in whatever she does

[Anjushri]

We love ya Wanda. Thx for speaking out

[Tulka2]

You are an cultural outlaw, Wanda Sykes. It's a good thing. My remote never clicks when your face is talking. My husband and i are old as dirt and straight too. (Just for the demographic)

[spage71]

This is the most hate fill note I have ever read Tulka2 you should be ashamed of yourself. It is now 2008 and you still have not moved on....but I bet you are very active in the Church....­.Please explain how do you Hate someone when you serve a God who love EVERYONE???? This issue confuses me. And FYI I am heterosexual.

[NotThatIntoPolitics]

I actually think Tulka2 likes Wanda Sykes, and is in support of her cause. Not much hate here, i don't believe.

[Tulka2]

Dear spage71, reading words, one by one, is not reading. You need to learn to read for tone and context too. I LOVE Wanda Sykes. Go back and read it. Some of us thing being a cultural outlaw is a way cool thing.

[PiscesGirl24]

I didn't even know Wanda Skykes was gay! And for the record, taking people's rights away is equal to hate. Just because you don't personally agree with someone doesn't mean they don't deserve the same rights as you. Wanting to deny rights, wanting to segregate people is HATE!

[spage71]

AMEN

[GenieG]

Thank You Wanda for being forthright for the benefit of the gay and lesbian community
And women.

Kudos to Wanda!

[Trittydi]

She's right - she was absolutely attacked.

Good on her for speaking out more.
*

[LMPE]

I don't know anything about Wanda Sykes's style of humor, but I propose bombarding Prop 8's backers with her skits. Anything to irritate the homophobes.

[mjb5406]

Take this for what it's worth from a straight Christian.­..

There is nothing wrong with being gay... it is NOT a curable disease, although most religions want to convince us that it is. I am no scientist. but I know enough to believe with all that I am that a person's sexual orientation is not environmental, it's genetic... and something that deserves to be embraced as part of the diversity of humankind, just as race is.

I am ashamed of those so-called Christians that cling to their belief that they are following in Christ's footsteps while actively discriminating, even hating, people who are "djfferent", then claim they are not anti-gay.

[kjstjohn]

Thanks for that. Jesus did not say word one about same-sex relations, even though the practice was rampant in the Greek and Roman culture.

For "Christians" who focus more on some of Paul's diatribes than on Jesus' teachings and actions, find another name for yourselves. Paulinites might work or, perhaps after this election season, Palinites would do just as well.

[ojim]

"Jesus did not say word one about same-sex relations," because he was never asked. He dwelt on very abstract and general teachings about love and hope until he was asked a specific question, and then he would get as specific as possible without congealing and bogging down his purely spiritual guidelines.

I take issue with the notion that you have to be hateful or ignorant to not support gay marriage. You don't have to hate a gay person to have the impression that it is a disorder. There are a range of tenable arguments from evolutionary viability to spiritual significances of complimentary pairs that can suggest that homosexuality is a disorder, NOT sinful or despicable but simply a good old fashioned disorder of which there are many.

[Trittydi]

Paul is a pathetic biblical figure. He's all about hate. Jesus would never have approved of this man. He twisted everything about real christianity. The real father of the re-Thuglic party.
*

[Tyrione]

Take this from an Agnostic that studies world religions: Dogma is a neurosis regardless of which Faith one selects to follow. Blind Faith is a neuroses and it seems the Fundamentalist movement has done more to damage your Faith in 8 years that took the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches centuries to do.

[ErnestineBass]

FIERCELY funny.

I'd be proud to call Wanda my friend.

[ObamaNation0812]

I second that! She is a woman living her life, making our lives more humorous, and she happens to be gay-- big f-ing deal.

I'm sick of people using religion to destroy other people's rights.

And, if the Mormon and catholic church in particular wanted to do good, they should have taken $30+ million dollars they spent on prop 8 helping people who are struggling financially, losing their homes etc etc... there are so many worthy causes needing help out there. Instead, they decided to focus on hatred and discrimination--

And that is why I stopped going to church a long time ago-- I believe in a greater power and try to be a good human being, the rest is mostly fluff and/or obsession!

[HillbillyBob]

I am gay, i was born gay. I tried to be straight, dated, it did not change who I was.
The people that disagree can't grasp that there are two kinds of marriage. One is the religious rite and the legal rite of marriage. The state recognizes a church wedding as a courtesy, but you still have to get a license, which the pastor signs.
I have watched many of my friends die, I have been pos for years. One day I will die and without legal rights my family can force sale of our farm.
I knew many that one partner died and even with wills and both names on the deed, the family can have it overturned and the survivor is put on the street.
These couples with 20, even 50 yrs. The family even took the survivors clothes, 3 million in a joint account that the survivor actually owned the bulk, the dead partner had left his mom 4 miland she took the house too. Most of us are poor, some few are well off but doesn't help.
Another guy had cancer and maybe 3 mos,the dead partners father had the docs tossed, and him evicted. A home they shared 24 years sohe got some gas and burned the house, with him in it.
So that kind of treatment is OK by you???

[kjstjohn]

HillbillyBob, I am so sorry. It may cost a couple of thousand dollars but you need to see a Trust and Estates lawyer. There may even be somebody who specializes in devises and bequests by gay people. There is a way for you to dispose of your property as you wish. Do not give up.

Also, if you have not done so already, look into a medical power of attorney.

[majorteddy]

A mouthy gay feminine J. J. Walker Dy-No-Mite ? Do we need this.?

[JessWonderin]

Seems you lack cultural exposure . . . in that, one would guess that Bush is a "potty mouth ex-cheerleader" and overlook those great things YOU see in him . . . .

[OrleansCatalan]

"Do we need this?"

----------­----------­----------­---

Apparently you do.

You needed to come to this blog, read this article, and then take the time to type a response.

Why does this issue affect you so?

[ErnestineBass]

You need a soul.

[9liberal]

she is talking about it because black people have been blamed for the passage of prop 8...she is saying, "look i'm black and i'm gay...its not only black people who voted for it."

i had no idea that she was gay.

[StrategicThinker]

It was pretty clear to me that she was gay.

[Tyrione]

70% of Blacks voted it down. Around 58% of Latinos voted it down. Yes, Blacks statistically did no favors for the Gay Movement.
If she attempts to rationalize the math away then I have nothing else to say other than she has poor mathematical skills.

Demographics in Support of Prop 8:

Black Voters-75%
Latino Voters-53%
White Voters-49%
Asian Voters-49%

Yes, Caucasians are the overwhelming majority of voters casting, but they casted in a slight minority, along-side Asians. It was the two prevalent minorities that voted in favor of Prop 8 that overrid the Caucasian vote.

Accept reality and perhaps the Down Low issue within the Black Community can begin to be addressed and perhaps they will stop denying the genetic reality that is Homosexuality.

------------

Wanda was always butch. She's funny, but doesn't rate in my top 20 all-time comedian's list.

[ExpatDane]

Did you know that racism runs rampant in the gay community. Black men are often denied entrance to so-called private clubs. How often do you see black models in gay publications. Do some outreach and maybe the black community will come around. Better yet, stop the racism in your ranks. Karma, baby, karma.

[Thecuddlyleft]

The reason why black folks voted against has to do with the older black communtiy that came out and voted and RELIGION! There is a difference in black folk attitudes about gays. You will hardly ever see blacks protesting against gays, having sermons about the evils of homosexuality, or even discrimination again them. It's the white eveangelicals that do all that. It's just not a hot button issue in the religious black community, but most black folks love them some jesus, like bill maher said and strongly believe that marriage is defined by the bible and not the law.

I'm not one of them and I don't live in Cali, so please don't make this about black vs. white. To me black folks have always been socially conservative, but most are not fanatically against gays and abortions. It has to ALL do with religion and for the gay community in Cali to not see this means there is more to learn.

[Ohioliberal]

Wanda, and this was important for me to know why?

[metogamekun]

I think she was explaining why.

[rockyersocksoff]

I don't care what type of crot ch she munches...

I was sent a recording of WS prank calling a car rental place about a t u r d in the back seat...

She funny.

[Tyrione]

Not seeing she is gay is like being surprised to see Rob Halford as a straight male singer for Judas Priest.

[MiddleRoadLiberal]

Didn't see that coming. Good for her.