At a Las Vegas rally today in support of gay marriage, comedian Wanda Sykes came out as a lesbian.Matter fact, she announced that she got married in California a few weeks ago... before voters in that state decided to outlaw same-sex marriages.
Click here to hear what Wanda told the crowd. It was uploaded by the Strip Podcast Guys.
(Thanks, dez, for letting me know.)
Wow, the best kept secret since Clay Aiken...
ReplyDeleteLOL, Invisible Woman. I didn't know. Congrats to Wanda.
ReplyDeleteWow, the best kept secret since Clay Aiken...
ReplyDeleteHee-hee...
But I didn't know either. And I didn't know she had already been filming gay-related PSAs.
That's a helluva shocker. A lot of her past stand up comedy gave the distinct impression she was straight - and she used to be, and is also divorced. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteWow, finally a famous black person who is gay, out of the closet and willing be be an activist for the cause.
ReplyDeleteWanda is the first one...ever.
I always thought she was gay, but she sort of portrayed herself as straight. Her stand-up bit about gay marriage also seems to be coming from a very "straight but do not really care about gay marriage" viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, good for her.
that dude: Oh, except for, y'know, Bayard Rustin.
ReplyDeleteDidn't know she was gay. Never thought about it. Glad she feels empowered enough to be open about it.
ReplyDeleteWell, good on her but she was married to a man back in the 90s. She used to include bits about it in her act. I'd like to see her in a debate with Dan Savage since he seems to think what happened in CA is largely Black people's fault.
ReplyDeleteWow, finally a famous black person who is gay, out of the closet and willing be be an activist for the cause.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or sincere, dude. But she is the first black actor/comedian I can recall with a successful Hollywood career (I mean, she's co-starring in that Julia Louis-Dreyfus sitcom as we speak, right?) who has come out.
And she owes a debt to Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell for clearing the way for that move.
I doubt it will affect her acting career at all.
But do you think it might affect her appeal to black folks as a standup?
Hooray for Wanda! And the whole Prop 8 thing really galls me to no end. We really have to expand our minds. The essence of marriage is commitment, trust, and love. Who cares if that is between two men or two women? There's plenty of heterosexual folks playing at being married and/or getting divorced.
ReplyDeleteThis whole antiquated concept that marriage is sacred only to a man-woman union is asinine. And Biden got behind that ignorance during the VP debates. I want a major politician who is not gay to stop pandering and urge us to get beyond this silliness, which is discriminatory on its face. Gay people should be allowed to marry and have the same marital rights as straight couples do. Period.
Well, that took long enough. Didn't Stevie Wonder call it? j/k.
ReplyDeleteI just always got that vibe about her.
Anyway, good for Ms. Sykes.
neptune,
ReplyDeleteAre you sure about Dan Savage? I saw him on Colbert and he didn't seem to be buying in to Fox News's attempt at starting a culture war between blacks and gays.
In fact, it seemed to me that Savage was pointing the finger, quited directly, at old people. I haven't seen Fox, or any news organization, give a percentage of people retirement age who voted for Prop 8.
Even though we haven't arrived there yet, the country will eventually get to the point of recognizing gay marriage. We're constantly progressing, just not as quickly as many of us, including me, would like.
11 16 08
ReplyDeleteThank God! It was always so obvious to me that she had no male chemistry. Ellen DG is that way too. They were pretty and well made up, but never had a spark on camera with any male role despite frontin like they had relationships with them. I say horrah for Wanda and despite the fact that this will impact my life very little, I am sure she is a happier person.
Cheryl Swoops, WNBA Star, came out some years ago, even signing a promotional deal and doing commercials for a gay travel group.
ReplyDeleteYes, Rustin and James Baldwin were out, but they are not pop stars. Pop stars are "no reading required".
ReplyDeleteAn article recently mentioned the need to a black equivalent to Elton John...a pop star of real significance to come out and be a gay activist, the way the former Reginald Dwight is.
Then when I started trying to refute the notion, I realized while the black community has had plenty of obviously gay stars, they usually stay closeted.
Wanda is not a Elton-sized star, but it's a great start.
As for whether it affects her career...probably not. But it will be interesting to see.
Go Wanda! My roommate and I were just debating last night if Wanda is now the most famous out Black star. We kept asking each other, "Is Tracy Chapman out?" "Is Alice Walker out?" "Queen Latifa's still not out, right?" I'm glad Wanda went for it yesterday.
ReplyDeleteHere's the video.
ReplyDeleteI kept waiting for her to announce that she is also Ciara's mother, but it didn't happen. :-/
^ You so wrong...
ReplyDelete:^D
"Queen Latifa's still not out, right?"
ReplyDeleteLatifah would be huge. But heck... Jodie Foster didn't come out till last year.
I had NO idea Wanda Sykes was Gay or Married.
ReplyDeleteI like Wanda Sykes. She's funny. She should have announced it on the Ellen Show ;)
Jodie Foster is gay too?
I had NO idea. I am clearly living under a rock!
Jodie Foster didn't come out till last year.
ReplyDeleteI'd say it was more like during "The Bad News Bears." :p
that was no surprise, I always thought she was.
ReplyDeleteJodie Foster finally came out?! Wow, times have changed when there's so many homos out now that I don't even notice when Jodie finally comes out.
ReplyDeleteshe sure did talk about pussy a lot in her standups. and i thought she and crazy eye killa had chemistry!
ReplyDeleteWanda is seeking some leverage out of this excuse the pun..Where was Wanda during the CA proposition against AA?? Now she wants to be the colored poster child for gays the same ones who had no problem voting aginst AA and calling many Black activists niggers..
ReplyDelete^ jesus there's a whole lot of hate in that post!
ReplyDeleteI'd say it was more like during "The Bad News Bears." :p
ReplyDeletebklyn6, I think you're getting your 70s child actresses mixed up?
You're right, andrew. My bad. She was cast to play Amanda, but took the child prostitute role in "Taxi Driver" instead.
ReplyDeletebklyn6, dang, I was confused too. I had to look that one up. I could have sworn it was Foster.
ReplyDeleteTalk about no chemistry: Jodie Foster with Mel Gibson. I remember reviews for that movie openly talking about her being gay then.
^ That's the thing, GG. When the whole world knows... and you still don't acknowledge it till December 2007... that's deep.
ReplyDelete@maria
ReplyDeleteshe sure did talk about pussy a lot in her standups. and i thought she and crazy eye killa had chemistry!
I know this is straight up rumor mill type stuff, but crazy eye killa tried to holla at a male friend of mine once...take it for what its worth.
Who gives a rat's ass about Wanda being gay, y'all acting like she cured AIDS or something. I respect Sykes for being an entertainer and could care less about who she sleeps with. There are worse things in life than being gay,(and I did'nt know they built closets for Gays and Lesbians!!!!!
ReplyDelete^It would be nice to live in a world where it didn't matter who was gay or straight, but this ain't that world. Good for Wanda for decloaking and sticking up for gay rights!
ReplyDeleteThat's the thing, GG. When the whole world knows... and you still don't acknowledge it till December 2007... that's deep.
A friend told me that Wanda's been an "open secret" around town for years, as was Jodie Foster...and Michael Stipe...and David Hyde Pierce...and etc.
I do like DHP's take on it, which is something like, "Just because my life is an open book doesn't mean I have to read it to you." That being said, I do wish more gay entertainers would be upfront about their sexuality. I think such dialogue helps all gays and lesbians.
BTW, my word verification is "inwhamm," which put me in mind of George Michael fos some reason....
^ That being said, I do wish more gay entertainers would be upfront about their sexuality.
ReplyDeleteEXCEPT for Lindsay Lohan.
And George Michael too, for that matter.
:^)
^ As an avid gossip-hound, I...yeah, I'm tired of George Michael (and Boy George), too! :-D
ReplyDeleteBTW, my word verification is "inwhamm," which put me in mind of George Michael fos some reason....
ReplyDeleteLOL. I LOVE him! I saw him in concert this summer. He showed a burlesque video for all the straight guys in the house. :-) He actually lives in Texas, of all places.
Speaking of Georges.... Just the other day I learned that George Washington Carver was gay.
Just the other day I learned that George Washington Carver was gay.
ReplyDeleteWow. I guess he found a 301st use for the peanut. (What? What does that even mean??)
By the way, who said Dr. Carver was gay? I heard he was thought to be asexual. (As was Sun Ra.)
Wow. I guess he found a 301st use for the peanut.
ReplyDeleteLand's sake, UBM! Did you HAVE to go there? LOL. (Okay, I went there too.)
Anyway, it was mentioned in a Prop 8 discussion on an African American forum I visit.
After reading it I searched around the net for confirmation, but I didn't find anything in Carver's own words, just wiki entries and stuff like this.
>
Thembi LOL on the crazy eye killa connection!!!
ReplyDeleteIt is fascinating how people wonder & speculate on who is gay. Why is the topic so hot in general.
I'm just saying!
I still think her take on the 2000 election when she was on Chris Rock's show, with the "f@ck Florida" sidebar, was the funniest commentary I heard on that topic.
ReplyDelete