Nov 15, 2008 10:13 pm US/Central
Prop. 8 Stirs Wanda Sykes To Speak Out
LAS VEGAS (AP) ―
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Wanda Sykes said the passage of California's Proposition 8 made her feel like she was "attacked." (File)
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
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.
Massachusetts and Connecticut, which began same sex weddings this past
week, are the only two states that allow gay marriage. All 30 states
that have voted on gay marriage have enacted bans.
Protests
following the vote on Proposition 8 in California, which defined
marriage as between a man and a woman, have sometimes been angry and
even violent, and demonstrators have targeted faiths that supported the
ban, including the Mormon church.
However, representatives of
Join the Impact, which organized Saturday's demonstrations, asked
supporters to be respectful and refrain from attacking other groups
during the rallies.
The mood in Boston was generally upbeat,
with attendees dancing and signing to the song "Respect." Signs cast
the fight for gay marriage as the new civil rights movement, including
one that read "Gay is the new black."
But anger over the ban and its backers was evident at the protests.
One sign in Chicago read: "Catholic Fascists Stay Out of Politics."
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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