Video of Wanda Sykes’ speech at a Prop 8 Rally in Las Vegas. She also says “Gay is not a choice.”

Tens of thousands of concerned people gathered at protests around the US on Saturday against Prop 8, which outlawed same sex marriage in California by defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Gay marriage was previously legalized in California in May after a ruling by their state supreme court. After Prop 8 was passed earlier this month, the only states in America to have legalized same sex marriage are Massachusetts and Connecticut. People are calling for a federal ruling that allows for gay marriage throughout the US and doesn’t leave it up to individual states to decide. Many liken marriage to a basic right that should be afforded to all.

Comedian Wanda Sykes came out as a proud lesbian at a rally in Las Vegas. She said that she married her same sex partner on October 25, but that she never really talked about it because she didn’t feel the need. She hasn’t exactly hidden her partner, and did mention her girlfriend when talking to Ellen on air this March.

“I thought, man we are moving in the right direction. And then at about 11 o’clock I was crushed. 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. I got married Oct. 25, I don’t really talk about my sexual orientation, I felt like I was living my life, I wasn’t in the closet, but I was just living my life. Everybody who knows me personally, they know I’m gay. And that’s the way people should be able to live our lives, really. We shouldn’t have to be standing out here demanding something we automatically should have as citizens of this country. … They pissed off the wrong group of people. 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. When my wife and I leave California, I want to have my marriage also recognized in Nevada, in Arizona, all the way to New York. … I’m proud to be a woman, I’m proud to be a black woman and I’m proud to be gay.”

In my interview with her, she said this: “People shouldn’t have to talk about their sexual orientation, we shouldn’t have to do it, but with the legislation that they passed, I can’t sit by and just watch. I just can’t do it.”

[From Vegas Happens Here via WeSmirch]

Good for Sykes for being out and proud and congratulations on her wedding! We hope that other same sex couples in every state in the US will soon be celebrating their long overdue right to legally marry.

Here’s Wanda Sykes on Ellen’s Halloween episode talking about Prop 8. She says it’s discrimination and jokes about the comparisons between being black and being gay.

And here’s Sykes joking about gay marriage, there are some swear words and adult themes and it’s not safe for work or around kids, but’s it’s damn funny. She says she doesn’t understand why people are upset about gay marriage because it doesn’t affect them. Sykes jokes that same sex couples aren’t a threat to marriage, divorce is. (The audio isn’t completely in sync with the video.)

Wanda Sykes is shown on 6/5/08 at The Fresh Air Fund “Salute to American Heroes” in NY. Credit: Mark Dye / PR Photos

People.com has posted the details of their semi-surprising cover story on Clay Aiken’s admission that he’s gay. The 29 year-old singer has finally put to rest rumors about his sexuality by admitting that he’s of the other persuasion and doesn’t want to hide it anymore. Aiken had a child, a baby boy, with an older female friend about six weeks ago. Parker Foster Aiken was conceived by in vitro fertilization and is being raised by Clay and the baby’s mother, music producer Jaymes Foster.

Clay told People that he decided to come out after he became a father because he wanted his son to live by his example and not hide things. He also called himself a “homosexual,” which seems like an oddly formal word to use, as D-Listed points out. Maybe it’s more commonly used in the south where he’s from.

“It was the first decision I made as a father,” Aiken, 29, tells the upcoming issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday. “I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn’t raised that way, and I’m not going to raise a child to do that.”

Aiken says he expects the news may overwhelm some of his fans. “Whether it be having a child out of wedlock, or whether it be simply being a homosexual, it’s going to be a lot,” said Aiken, who returned to Broadway last week as Sir Robin in Monty Python’s Spamalot.

[From People]

Clay was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is a born-again Christian. He says his mom started crying when he came out to her four years ago, but that she was “supportive and comforting” and has really grown a lot:

The born-again Christian singer also reveals how he told his mother Faye he’s gay four years ago. After dropping off his younger brother Brett, who was being deployed to Iraq, at Camp Lejeune, “I started crying in the car,” Aiken remembers. “It was dark. I was sitting there, thinking to myself. I don’t know why I started thinking about it … I just started bawling. She made me pull over the car and it just came out.”

So what was his mom’s reaction? “She started crying. She was obviously somewhat stunned. But she was very supportive and very comforting.” Even now, Aiken admits, “She still struggles with things quite a bit, but she’s come a long way.”

As for his rabid fans, often called Claymates, Clay says he never wanted to mislead them and hopes they understand:

“[I want my fans to] know that I’ve never intended to lie to anybody at all. … But if they leave, I don’t want them to leave hating me.”

Do you think Clay took a calculated risk realizing he could score the cover of People by coming out? Are Ricky Martin and his twins next?

Clay Aiken has finally come out of the closet and confirmed that he is gay – to People magazine no less. Clay, 29, became a dad for the first time recently. His best friend Jaymes Foster was artificially inseminated and gave birth in August. The pair said they planned to raise their son together, though it was clear even before Clay came out that they were just good friends.

Perez Hilton has a copy of the October 4th edition of People. It has Clay on the cover, holding his son, and the headline “YES, I’M GAY. The Idol star opens up about his emotional decision to come out: ‘I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things.’”

Good for him. I’d say it’s about time – because it has been a long time – but everyone has to figure out what to share and when and how to do it. It’s an important process, and I’m glad for Clay that he’s finally comfortable being himself.

In the past, Clay has said that he doesn’t consider himself to be a very sexual person, and that still may be the case. He also admitted he’s never been in a romantic relationship with anyone. Clay worked with kids before American Idol, and something tells me his biggest priority will be his son. I seriously doubt we’ll see him living it up in clubs now that he’s open and free. Hopefully this will make his life even better.

28 year-old Canadian actor Luke MacFarlane, who plays Scotty Wandell on the ABC series “Brothers & Sisters,” has come out as a gay man to Canadian newspaper The Globe & Mail.

————-possible spoilers————-
Luke’s character on “Brothers & Sisters” is gay, and he will marry his partner on the show, character Kevin Walker, in the season finale to air next month.

He confirms that he is a gay man, and says that it’s a great time in society for people of all persuasions. He wouldn’t dish on who his current partner is, though, and just said that he’s in a relationship now:

“From a standing outside perspective, and also as someone who is gay, I think that it’s a very exciting time. How exciting that we’re saying, ‘This can be part of the cultural fabric, now,’ because it is two series regulars, two people that you invite into your home and you see every week. It’s telling of the beginning of more waves and I’m very proud of that.”He does, however, note that a certain irony still exists: While a show featuring a gay marriage may be an important step toward building tolerance, it’s still an attention-grabber in today’s television world.

“Most importantly, in portraying gay people, the more we realize it’s just like portraying anybody else and, gay marriage, it’s not about two people being gay, it’s about two people who love each other and who have decided to commit to each other for the exact same reasons any other couple would get married. Hopefully, the more that becomes part of the cultural awareness it won’t be,” he pauses and says, employing a mock, exaggerated voice of a television announcer, “a spectacular Sunday episode.”

Sitting on the patio of an exclusive Hollywood hotel, wearing a grey T-shirt and red jacket, Macfarlane says he does intend to keep a certain amount of his life private. Asked if he is currently in a relationship, his answer is quick: “That is my personal life. That is where I draw the difference.” He does allow though, that he would like to be married some day.

[The Globe and Mail via AfterElton.com and ONTD]

MacFarlane has been seen out with fellow gay actor T.R. Knight and with Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller.

An actor’s sexual preference is something they should be able to keep private if they want to. When more celebrities come out of the closet they help show that it’s a common, everyday thing and that there’s no reason to make it out to be something sensational. It’s also nice to see same sex relationships covered in entertainment.

Luke MacFarlane is shown in stills from “Brothers & Sisters,” thanks to LukeMacFarlane.org.

Cher and her daughter, Chastity Bono, are pitching a new reality show in which they help gay people come out to their families. Chastity is out and proud, but Cher wasn’t so accepting of her daughter’s homosexuality when she was first confronted with the news. Cher kicked Chastity out of her NY apartment when her daughter came out to her, and it took her a while to come to terms with it. Chastity’s father, the late singer and Congressman Sonny Bono, was said to be immediately accepting and to have already realized that his daughter was gay. Cher and Chastity also denied reports in 1990 that claimed Chastity was a lesbian. She came out to the press in 1995.

Chastity is a heavier person who lost 23 pounds on Celebrity Fit Club 3 on VH1 last year but has since gained it back, according to reports. Unfortunately the Daily Mail article about their new reality show typically focuses on Chastity’s weight rather than the news that she may star in a positive show with her mom.

Chastity told The Advocate last year that she wasn’t too fond of reality TV shows, but that she understands how they work and is willing to play the game:

Bono says it’s strange to find herself a reality TV participant, since she hates most of what she’s seen on such shows. But she’s media-savvy enough to know how to convey the impression of “realness” without being entirely real. “There are certainly things that are, if not scripted, at least set up,” she divulges. “And there are often times when they have to do a take 2 of something.” Like maybe they didn’t catch her initial reaction to being told she’d have to run a race inside a giant inflatable hamster wheel. “So,” she says, “you have to repeat the shot of ‘Oh-my-gosh-it’s-a-giant-inflatable-hamster-wheel!’”

[From The Advocate and found at FindArticles.com]

Chastity has been sober for nearly two years, after having beaten an addiction to the painkiller Oxycontin, to which she became hooked while dealing with the grief from her longterm partner’s death.

61 year-old Cher has been having intestinal trouble, and has reportedly gone to the same clinic in Germany where Farrah Fawcett is having cancer treatment. Her reps deny that she has serious medical problems.

There is speculation that Cher is financially strapped after she auctioned off her expensive tchotchkes and is rumored to be considering yet another farewell stint in Vegas. It seems like that rumor is true given the fact that she’s trying to get a reality show. The Daily Mail reports that the title will be “Coming Out With Cher and Chas.”

Chastity Bono is shown at the Outfest Film Festival on 7/16/05, thanks to WENN. Cher is shown in April, 2006 in NY, thanks to Splash News.

“Grey’s Anatomy” star T.R. Knight was on “Ellen” the other day, and told a very cute story about getting a puppy from Katherine Heigl. You don’t often hear about celebrity friendships – it seems like once every couple of years “People” will do a story on celebrity best friends, and it’ll surprise everyone because no one had any idea those two actors even knew each other. Katherine Heigl was a very vocal supporter of T.R. Knight during the whole Isaiah Washington “fag” incident – though I’m not sure if the two became best friends as a result, or if they were close from the beginning. Either way, they’re close enough that Heigl surprised Knight at his house with a puppy for his birthday, which he named Arrow. That’s pretty much the cutest thing ever.

“‘I had been talking about [getting a dog] for a while. I guess there’s a point – too much talk and not enough action,” Knight said. “So she made the decision. It was great, yeah, she showed up at my house with it.’”

[From People]

Knight does tell a story that kind of explains some of the things that are wrong with the press… but does so in a way that doesn’t make me want to kick him. It’s actually pretty funny… though quite the insult to Katherine Heigl’s mom, which I don’t think he realized.

“Although he may be happier, Knight insists that coming out hasn’t much affected his love life.

“‘Recently Kate [Heigl] and her fiancé Josh Kelley and me and her mom went out to dinner, and it was reported that it was with me and my new boyfriend. But that was her mom,’ he told DeGeneres.

“‘So I guess I’m dating Katherine’s mom right now,’ he joked.

[From People]

Um, burn? Ouch! Katherine Heigl is beautiful, what must her mother look like to confuse the press into thinking she’s a gay man? I’m going to do my best to dig up some pictures of said mannish-looking mother. Knight also talked about the process of coming out under fire last year.

“‘I feel I’ve learned so much this past year, so, I’m grateful for that, so yeah, that changes you,’ he said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Thursday. Knight, 34, previously told DeGeneres that hearing his Grey’s Anatomy costar Isaiah Washington refer to him with a homophobic slur gave him the courage tell the world.

“Asked what he thinks about actors who do not come out of the closet, Knight said, ‘Everyone has their own path. You just have to respect that… It don’t think it’s right to force that. It’s impossible to know. There’s a lot of soul searching you have to do.’”

[From People]

What he says makes a lot of sense. We all have a lot of soul searching to do in our lives, and I imagine that it’s hard to guess what it’s like to be a gay person that’s trying to figure out what type of life, and how public a life, they want to live. I think it’s really good that Knight did ultimately come out, but it would have been nice if he did it in his own time and his own way.

Picture Note by Jaybird: Here’s T.R. with Kate Walsh at the Music and Lyrics premiere in February. Header image at Entertainment Weekly’s Pre-Emmy part on September 15th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

My husband I and love Prison Break. We are still watching season two over here in Switzerland, although I read all the spoilers on Wikipedia and enjoy teasing him by revealing key plot details while he hums and covers his ears. The episodes are getting more outrageous and the plot twists are beyond plausible, but if you watch it you’re willing to buy all the near brushes with capture and unexplained getaways because it sucks you in. This is due in no small part to Wentworth Miller’s charisma and commanding presence. You believe the guy is capable of anything, and you want to follow him around while he deftly evades authority.

Anyway there have been rumors for quite some time that Wentworth Miller plays for the opposite team. It doesn’t matter to me because I’m married anyway, and there’s little chance any of these hot famous guys would give me the time of day even if I was single. I’m cute and all, but I’m not surgically enhanced or delusional. You can appreciate a hot guy who’s not into women as much as one who is. Once you’re hitched you’re not getting anything else, so you may as well accept that it’s all fantasy.

Miller was photographed out with a guy who is known to be gay and is just as attractive as he is, and rumors are heating up. He was seen with Luke MacFarlane, who is TR Knight’s ex boyfriend and was on Over There and Brothers and Sisters. It’s possible these two are friends who are both actors and are super hot and dress alike. They do have a lot in common.

Here’s the description from Just Jared, where we found the pictures:

Wentworth Miller hangs out actor pal Luke MacFarlane in Los Angeles on Saturday.

According to spywitnesses, the pair first avoided being photographed together, but eventually walked down the street together with a smile.

Wentworth, 35, and Luke, 27, started their day off together by visiting printing store Kinko’s, where the Prison Break star surfed the web.

Afterwards the pair grabbed some drinks from Starbucks and headed to a small art gallery in Culver City. Finally, Went and Luke went to the In-N-Out Burger drive-thru and called it a day.

A lot of gay actors and actresses are closeted not because they’re trying to hide their orientation, but because they realistically fear that their career will suffer. If the public sees tons of pictures of an actor or actress out with their same sex significant other we’re supposedly less likely to find them believable in, say, a romantic comedy with a member of the opposite sex. I have a gay family member who is out and proud. Maybe because of that I like to think that I’m unbiased enough to find a gay person entirely believable in a straight role.

I would love to see Wentworth Miller go on to A-list film career, perhaps as a Jason Bourne type of sensitive action hero or a James Bond level seducer. He’s so good on Prison Break, and he needs to be cast in some top films. Maybe it’s best if we don’t know the real news about Miller in case there’s even a small chance that rumors can affect his career. He’s a talented guy and someone needs to consider him for a leading role in a box office hit.

I’m not outing the guy, I’m just reporting on news that’s already out and not saying that it’s true. Hopefully there is a distinction and that’s different from going after someone. Feel free to bash me if I’m wrong, because I have some misgivings about covering this.

Thanks to JJB for linking this, and to Just Jared for the photos, where you can see a lot more pictures of Wentworth and Luke.

Author Alice Walker discussed her affair in the 90s with folksy alternative music artist Tracy Chapman in a recent interview. She said she didn’t want to serve as anyone’s poster woman for lesbianism, and that’s why she’s kept quiet about it up until now.

I tell her people are still fascinated by her love affair with the singer Tracy Chapman in the mid-1990s. Moments earlier she had said firmly but politely that she didn’t want to answer any questions about her family life. (Her daughter Rebecca, from her marriage to Levanthal, published a frank memoir in 2000 in which she criticised the self-absorption of both parents after their divorce.) So I was surprised to see her face light up at the mention of Chapman. “Yeah I loved it too. Absolutely.”

Why was it kept so quiet at the time? “It was quiet to you maybe but that’s because you didn’t live in our area,” she answers with a throaty laugh. She has written about the relationship in her journals, which she plans to publish one day. So why did they decide against using their relationship to make a big social impact like other celebrity lesbian couples, such as Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche, have in the past? The idea seems to amuse her. “I would never do that. My life is not to be somebody else’s impact – you know what I mean? And it was delicious and lovely and wonderful and I totally enjoyed it and I was completely in love with her but it was not anybody’s business but ours.”

Alice Walker has a new book of controversial politically-minded essays out called, “We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For,” that her more mainstream publisher, Random House, would not print. It is put out by New Press.

When Walker and Chapman were together, Walker would have been about 40 while Chapman was around 30. It doesn’t seem that surprising that they had an affair, and good for Walker for owing up to it. Now if only Alice Walker champion Oprah would admit to a relationship with her best friend Gail, that would make headlines.

There’s this suspicious blog with random stories from a guy who claims to be a gay billionaire dating a closeted Hollywood star. He doesn’t accept comments, and just started the blog in October. There are a total of 14 posts about stuff like losing comped cars from Casinos and buying sheets at Walmart because he doesn’t like the ultra high thread count at the luxury hotels he frequents. He says he bought a Porsche at 2:00 in the morning after this Hollywood hottie dumped him, but that he’s back together with him now and started the blog as therapy for his stressful life of privilege:

Ok, I started this blog when I broke up with this boyfriend.

I thought it would serve as a release. It has been fun to post about random topics.

Here is the deal, the boyfriend is back. And the same problem is back.

I am not going to tell all about him. However, I am going to tell you the problem. I am just going to put it out there. I haven’t really been able to talk to anyone about this.

I can only talk about this here because I am sure that I have complete annoymity.

He is a major Hollywood Actor. He will not come out. I would never force him to.

I would never out him either. However, the constant sneaking around really bites.

I just left from our secret hideout. It was a nice evening. But, the problem remains.

I am in love with this guy! But he will not come out!

For a long time, I convinced myself that it didn’t matter if anyone knew that we were in love. However, that is just crazy. It is just fear. I shouldn’t have to hide my love! It makes me feel like his stardom is more important than our love.

I don’t love this guy because of his fame and celebrity. Just like he doesn’t love me because of my wealth. I think we are attracted to each, drawn to each other, because of who we are deep down. It has always been an instant attraction. (I will write about our first meeting later.)

I think he loves me, but I am not really sure.

Oh, and he doesn’t know that I think it’s a problem…

Thanks for listening!

Does it sound like another LonelyGirl stunt to you? Personally I’m not buying it, it doesn’t sound sincere to me, and I think the other posts were just a build up to this titillating one. Someone’s trying an online experiment for a class or a lark. What do you think? It could be anyone. I guess I’ll keep checking to see if he drops some more clues.

I found this post through Digg, and it had just two Diggs yesterday, so maybe it will become more popular as time goes on. It smells like bullshit to me.

Also, the header image is just filler, and is not the actual guy.

Perez Hilton has one less reason to blog furiously in a misguided attempt to out every semi-closeted Hollywood star. Right after Perez scrawled over some pictures of Harris with a hot guy that is claimed to be his long term boyfriend, Harris came out to People magazine. This is in spite of a statement by Harris’ PR person at the beginning of this month that he’s “not of that persuasion.”

While I agree that Evangelical Christians preaching against the “evils” of a “homosexual lifestyle” should be outed, and politicians who do their best to make sure that gay people are denied basic rights should be outed, I’m not sure it’s my business which of the people who entertain me are gay. I mean, I’m kind of naive about this because I don’t think it’s a big deal, but isn’t it someone’s human right to decide if they’re going to come out or not? It seems nasty to call people gay and out them unwillingly. It’s not an easy to decision to come out and many people are still homophobic and ignorant about it. If someone is not ready, why jeopardize their career? OTOH, if more people come out then it won’t be as big of a deal to be a public gay person. It’s just everyone’s right to decide when they’re going to say something about it.

Good for Harris for stepping up to the plate and clearing up the rumors.

The public eye has always been kind to me, and until recently I have been able to live a pretty normal life. Now it seems there is speculation and interest in my private life and relationships.

“So, rather than ignore those who choose to publish their opinions without actually talking to me, I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love.”