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

[mylegsareswollen]

Cool Wanda.

Loud and Proud is hip, but the gays must get into the communities and into the churches to convince the majority of their cause.

Civil Rights law and religion diverge when it comes to gay marriage. It's up to those who advocate it to convince the majority. Keep wokin' it and eventually it will become the norm.

[ProudMormon]

Good for you. You have more than enough pride in yourself for the both of us. No need to get any further admiration from the rest of society.

[Hirnlego]

Make sure your magic underwear does not strangle the bloodflow :P

[goldcoastsailor]

Proud is just the wrong word. It's okay to be proud of an accomplishment but not an attribute. It's like saying I'm proud to be a blue-eyed white man.

[inluvwkeitholbermann]

cute, but society has not historically persecuted and mur-dered blue-eyed white men for these attributes

[Strepsi]

Pride is the antidote to SHAME. And since shame is what people have been told to feel, until the shame disappears I'll take pride any day!

[nevadagirl]

That would make sense if people had tried to make you feel crappy about being blue-eyed white man. You've had all the breaks in life so you don't know what it is to feel ashamed for nothing.

[Ohg]

Cultural paradigms are slow to change. .......

http://thefiresidepost.com/2008/11/14/the-right-to-privacy-the-9th-amendment-gay-marriage/

[thevealchop]

Good for Wanda Sykes! I marched/protested in Denver on Saturday with about 1,000 others. Regardless of sexual orientation, a civil union should be a civil right for all.

[Pinkmarbles]

And this is N.E.W.S. I thought everyone knew she was gay.

[leftoflennon]

Didnt know Wanda was gay.

Go 'head Girl! Do ur thang!

[huffpostuser77]

I'm gay. I'm not hurting anyone. I am productive member of society with a great job and friends and family who love me. Anyone else who doesn't like it or believe it's right... too bad. It's between me and God, if he/she chooses to make it an issue, I have a feeling he/she will be the most loving and compassionate spirit, who created me. So, I don't want the government telling me what I can and can't do in my home. I don't know you. I don't affect you. I don't affect your children. And, if I did meet you, and we became friends (as it happened with every one of mine), they usually accept me and appreciate me for who I am. They may not have to support that aspect of my life, but I'm a lot more than "gay." I'm lucky to live in the United States, and I'm lucky to be blessed with a loving family and good group of friends. The rest of you... I don't care whether you believe it's OK -- you're going to have to deal with it -- I'm not changing for you or your interpretation of God. Take care.

[Pinkmarbles]

And we all wanted to know this why?

[Nikola Tesla]

Looks like SOMEONE here has issues.

[kjstjohn]

Because well-considered honesty is a wonderful thing.

[Dadaba]

You know, this is so true. This is exactloy how I personally feel about the "Pro-Choicers" out there. What I choose to do with my body and my life is my business, and let me be judged by a Higher Power when the time comes, not here on earth.

I am a hetero female but I have a few gay friends who are so much fun to be with. I tend to get along well with them because instead of being phoic or judgemental, I talk to them and ask them questions. Get to know people for who they are, not what they are.

[Pupadup4oBama]

Beautifully said.
Kudos to you for just being who you are, and knowing that it's not your problem - it's their's

[Banji81]

I have my conflicts about homosexuality, and I suspect I always will, but in the mean time, to be perfectly honest, I can't argue with a single thing you've said. Cheers...

[cjm214]

I wish I had wrote that : ) Well said!!!

[vaughnkb]

I love you Wanda! Thanks for being one of the few out and proud black gay performers!

[ttowse]

Tell it to the man that was all talk about CHANGE. "Hope" he hears you.

[inluvwkeitholbermann]

you can't honestly think that john and sarah would have done better.

hang in there....your change is coming, too.

[dare2tryobama]

I am glad that she stood up and spoke out. Honestly I had no idea she was gay at all. I still think she is funny as hell.

[KillgoreTrout43]

Other than religious concerns, what is the big difference between gay marriage and civil unions? Do you really need the church's blessings??? I say to hell with the church.

[PATina]

The only difference I can see is that civil unions would be strictly for gays... and marriage strictly for straights. If we are truly a nation that separates church and state... all unions would be civil unions handled by the state (sign on the dotted line). If a couple then wanted a wedding... it would be purely ceremonial. That way... everything would be equal.

[kjstjohn]

That is what I want to see. Take the "sacred" out of state-sanctioned unions. Go to your place of worship if you want to want some institutional recognition of the sacredness of your relationship.

[useyourbrain]

Actually, there are over 1,000 legal benefits that come with marriage -- even arranged marriage, marriage of a prisoner, people meeting in Las Vegas for a few hours, people who've been married multiple times, murderers, rapists, child molesters, clergy, etc. All can marry and divorce.

And all of these marriages start with a license issued by the State. You can be married by a city clerk or a judge. There is no requirement to be married in a religious setting. Those marriages are essentially for show (look at the real history of marriage and you see why it was a spectacle). The priest, minister, rabbi, etc. all have to sign a legal document to make it a marriage -- the same as a city clerk does.

Marriage is not sanctified by the State. States don't do dat. No religious order is obligated to marry anyone. They can reject anyone for any reason and that's legal (as it should be). BUT, that shouldn't deprive people from civil marriages and the rights issuing forth from that legal document.
Some churches do perform same-sex marriages and they are not prevented from doing that (which IS illegal).

All marriages should be civil and if people want a church wedding, fine. Just don't discriminate on the basis of gender regarding marriage.

[research]

Glad to hear it. I like Wanda's comedy, but I'd hate to think a hetro woman would have so many nasty things to say about men.

[lizr]

Usually it is hetero women who have the most to say about men.

We lezgrrls have less complaints as we don't deal w dudes on an intimate basis :)

[lizr]

thank you Wanda!!!

I always liked you, now I am a HUGE fan!!!

[brodon]

Hi Wanda,

Congratulation.

You've joined an elite group of some of the finest Americans on the planet.

http://www.forgottenvictims.com/Update%20Page.htm

Keep up the good work.