I woke up Sunday morning to some great news on MSNBC. Wanda Sykes announced that she is "proud to be gay".
When Prop 8 passed, she knew she had to stand up for her beliefs and popped up and out at a Las Vegas rally on Saturday.
Who knew that she would be an instrument of change in the black community? It only takes one voice to start an outcry against injustice and I am proud of Wanda for using her prominence to do just that.
In a former diary about blacks and Prop. 8, I talked about my brother Jamal and about the lack of visibility of gays in the black communty being a major contributing factor to the apathetic or unsympathetic reaction to Prop 8 by blacks...and not just the unsympathetic reaction, but to rampant homophobia in the black community.
I wasn't sure if my voice was being heard. I sow seeds every day in my community to change homophobic attitudes, but I frequently have to talk myself out of pessimism. I said in my diary that we needed prominent gays in the black community to come out, stand up and live their biology out in the open for the larger community to see.
Wanda Sykes is my Rosa Parks today!
I am so proud of her and so happy that I have a prominent reference point for my talks in the community. Let's wish her well and support her in her efforts.
How can you help?
1.) Tell every straight and GLBT person you know that if it's at all possible to stand up and come out for gay rights.
2.) Join, volunteer or donate at an organization like the ACLU or the Human Rights Campaign that are helping to organize and mobilize in the fight for gay rights in America.
3.) Sign the Pledge at the HRC website and make a personal committment to end homophobia and support gay rights yourself.
4.) Attend a rally! Gay rights rallies are taking place all over the USA. Contact your local chapter of the ACLU or GLBT student associations to find out how you can join in the fight for civil rights to all Americans.
The passing of Prop 8 sucked! But it wasn't the end of the story. We get to write the end of the story with the actions that we take from this moment forward.
Here's to change!
Update: Wanda on Gay Marriage: Probably Not Work Safe!