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Shallow Nation

November 17th, 2008 at 8:46 am

Video: Wanda Sykes Speech in Las Vegas “Proud to Be Gay” 11-15-08

Wanda Sykes

Comedian Wanda Sykes made a surprise appearance at gay rights in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 15, 2008. Watch full video of the speech here in which Sykes not only expressed outrage over the ban on gay marriage in California, which the Proposition 8 has imposed, but she declared herself “proud to be gay,” and not just a lesbian but a “married lesbian.” She got married in California on October 24, 2008.

She told the rally participants, “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. Everybody that knows me personally they know I’m gay. But that’s the way people should be able to live their lives.” Regarding passage of the ban on gay marriage in California she said, “I felt like I was being attacked, personally attacked — our community was attacked.”

Sykes’ appearance at the rally, which took place at The Gay and Lesbian Community Center on East Sahara Avenue in Las Vegas was a surprise to all, as she happened to be in town performing at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Her sudden public announcement has, of course, begged the question — who is Wanda Sykes’ wife? — while underscoring the underlying outrage of the entire situation. As Sykes herself put it, on the historic election night, November 4, 2008, she said, “I was so proud of the country; we had elected Barack Obama…we are moving in the right direction.” But upon finding out that Proposition 8 had passed, she said, “I was crushed. We took a huge leap forward and then got dragged about 12 steps back.”

As the New York Times reports, the Las Vegas rally was just one of many across the country.

The demonstrations — from a sun-splashed throng in San Francisco to a chilly crowd in Minneapolis — came 11 days after California voters narrowly passed a ballot measure, Proposition 8, that outlawed previously legal same-sex ceremonies in the state. The measure’s passage has spurred protests in California and across the country, including at several Mormon temples, a reflection of that church’s ardent backing of the proposition.

Source: Across U.S., Big Rallies for Same-Sex Marriage

Popeater has a roundup of celebrity reaction to the gay marriage ban, in California. Many, including George Clooney, Ellen DeGeneres, Melissa Etheridge, and Lindsay Lohan’s girlfriend Sam Ronson, have been outspoken. See: Wanda Sykes Is Out and Proud

Photo: Wanda Sykes at the Silver Rose Awards and Auction Gala April 27, 2008, (Photo credit: Getty Images)

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