New Adventures of Old Christine

Wanda Sykes Comes Out as Gay and Married Comedian and actress Wanda Sykes officially came out this weekend, announcing to the estimated crowd of 1,000 gathered in Las Vegas at one of the many rallies for gay rights taking place around the country on Saturday that she's gay, and that she legally married her wife in California on Oct. 25.Sykes, who divorced her husband of seven years in 1998, has spoken out about gay rights issues many times in the past, recently participated in a campaign to fight anti-gay slurs, and has openly referred to her wife in some of her stand-up routines. But she has always declined to specifically discuss her sexual orientation publicly — until now."I don't really talk about my sexual orientation," she told the crowd at the Las Vegas GLBT Community Center. "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."But the passage of Proposition 8, she told them, spurred her decision to officially come out. “ We took a huge leap forward and then got dragged 12 feet back. I felt like I was being attacked, personally attacked — our community was attacked.""Now, I gotta get in their face," she continued. "I'm proud to be a woman. I'm proud to be a black woman, and I'm proud to be gay."Sykes joins WNBA player Sheryl Swoopes as one of the few high-profile black women in America who have publicly come out as a lesbian or bisexual woman.Just before the Nov. 4 election, Sykes talked about homophobia within the black community on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, acknowledging there are differences between the black civil rights movement and the gay civil rights movement, but saying, "discrimination is discrimination, and of all people, black people should know about discrimination."Currently co-starring with Julia Louis-Dreyfus in the CBS comedy The New Adventures of Old Christine, Sykes — along with Jasika Nicole on the Fox sci-fi drama Fringe, and Kristen Vangsness on the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds — is one of the few out actresses currently playing a leading or supporting role on primetime broadcast television. She and her wife are among the 18,000 gay and lesbian couples who married during the four months same-sex marriage was legal in California, including many lesbian couples in the entertainment industry.Sykes said in her speech that she believes passing Proposition 8 will ultimately backfire for those who are against gay marriage."They pissed off the wrong group of people," she told the crowd. "They have galvanized a community. We are so together now and we all want the same thing and we shouldn’t have to settle for less. Instead of having gay marriage in California, no, we’re gonna have gay marriage across the country."

Congratulations to Wanda!Either gay or straight, she is just plain funny!

I must agree, who cares who she wants to be with. I love Wanda's talent. I just wish I was able to watch the show but since full episodes are no longer offered I won't be watching. But I still LOVE Wanda.

Who cares if Wanda is gay. I like her because she is funny. I do not need to have the gay agenda forced down my throat if I want to watch a sitcom with my family. TV writers, you are not going to change the world by telling viewers that they should be more tolerant. We tune into a show we like, not to be taught a lesson. Look at the history of sitcoms that wrote more for substance than entertainment. THEY ARE GONE!!!!!! Write comedy and shut up!

Please keep the comedy in Christine!With all the crap going on in the world, PLEASE keep us laughing.I'm all for equal rights,just don't preach to me,ok?I love the show, ESPECIALLY Wanda!She's the reason I tune in,her wit is fantastic!

Completely agree!!!!!!

cbsagenda wrote: Who cares if Wanda is gay. I like her because she is funny. I do not need to have the gay agenda forced down my throat if I want to watch a sitcom with my family. TV writers, you are not going to change the world by telling viewers that they should be more tolerant. We tune into a show we like, not to be taught a lesson. Look at the history of sitcoms that wrote more for substance than entertainment. THEY ARE GONE!!!!!! Write comedy and shut up!

I just love the cast of NAOOCWhere do I watch the full episodes? I missed last week and I just can't find it. Help!!!Wanda makes Christine the way it should be!!!

I don't flipping care what orientation she is! What I do know is after the rant last night, I will not watch the show any more. Julia and Obama were laughing as well. Done with them.

concerned333 wrote:

I don't flipping care what orientation she is! What I do know is after the rant last night, I will not watch the show any more. Julia and Obama were laughing as well. Done with them.

I loved since chris rock show- even in Pootie Tang, but I cant take the hate anymore. I dont know if Michael Richards was really a racist or just looking for a way to shut up some loud audience members, regardless he has lost his fun innocence. Maybe Wanda feels Rush is antigay or maybe she just hates him because he is a conservative- either way I am done with her and for now done with JLD because she was laughing too hard to not feel the same way. Feel either way you want about any pres or party but when your support turn to hate you have lost.

CONGRATs girl have funn & dont care of what people sayy ur outright funny