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Wanda Sykes, Thomas Beatie Kick Off Advocate's People of the Year

Each year The Advocate names its People of the Year -- a handful of names that made headlines, made a difference, or simply made us talk. This year's list kicks off with a trio of people who had us talking in 2008. Comedian Wanda Sykes; WordPerfect founder, former Mormon, and $1 million No on 8 donor Bruce Bastian; and "pregnant man" Thomas Beatie are three people who made 2008 a year to remember.
An Advocate.com exclusive posted December 2, 2008
Wanda Sykes, Thomas Beatie Kick Off Advocate's People of the Year

Without question, 2008 is a year that will go down in history for LGBT people. It was a year of highs (gays and lesbians had a stronger presence at the Democratic National Convention than ever before) and a year of lows (marriage bans passed in California, Arizona, and Florida, while gays and lesbians were barred from adopting children in Arkansas). Without question, 2008 was a year to remember.

With the LGBT rallies and protests that followed the passing of Prop. 8 in California, never before has our community been so visible to mainstream America. Seldom before has the work of The Advocate felt quite so urgent.

Each year The Advocate names its People of the Year -- a handful of names that made headlines, made a difference, or simply made us talk throughout the year. From entertainers to politicians, activists to newsmakers, LGBT community demanded to be noticed in 2008.

Over the next week, we will be rolling out The Advocate’s People of the Year with a series of extended interviews, extras, and video clips we couldn’t share in our year-end issue.

To kick things off, three people who gave us something to talk about in 2008.

Wanda Sykes

Wanda Sykes has long been a fan of the gays -- but it took the passing of Prop. 8 for the outspoken comedian to tell the world she is gay. Not that there weren’t little hints dropped here and there.

She has regularly spoken out in support of gay rights in comedy routines, such as this classic on our right to marry.

As one of Ellen’s regular guests, she taken on topics such as homophobic Oklahoma legislator Sally Kern and California's Prop. 8.

And on this season’s The New Adventures of Old Christine, she tied the knot with the title character (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) to keep from being deported -- and they even sealed it with a kiss.

But it was a rally in Las Vegas following the passing of Prop. 8 that led Wanda to tell the world she’s gay. Surrounded by friends, Sykes addressed the crowd, saying, “We took a huge leap forward and then got dragged about 12 steps back.”

With that “we,” Sykes took a huge leap forward herself.

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Keywords:  2008 Election  California marriage  Prop 8  Thomas Beatie 
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Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: TG
    Date posted: 2009-01-03 10:30 PM
    Hometown: Philadelphia

    Comment:

    Tired, You sound like those who condemn homosexuality as a false condition. Gay people are freaks who need to be set "straight", right? Just because you lack the knowledge to understand Mr. Beatie's, or any other transsexual person's, reality does not make it false. Your ignorance, fear, and hatred is not his fault or his responsibility, it is your own. Like people who are born with two different colored eyes, albinistic, or with exceptional cognitive abilities, transsexual people are a biological anomaly. They all are aspects of human variation, even if they are not common. We all come in different shapes, sizes, colors, sexualities, abilities, and more. You and everyone else knows this. So why are so many people terrified of a man whose body developed female and who later decides to use the uterus he was born with? I think many people need to ask themselves why they're so afraid.


  • Name: Angela
    Date posted: 2008-12-12 1:15 PM
    Hometown: Somewhere In England

    Comment:

    I think 'tired' should just bum off to be honest HE is a man and if you can't take that well you can nackers. Your just a hurtfull pig who need's to be put right. Weren't you taught you can be whatever you want to be or you get two lives one you are given and one you make for yourself. Don't judge. All he wanted was for a family. Is that too much to ask? No? well then. And further more i dont think people are tired about hearing about THOMAS BEATIE.


  • Name: tired
    Date posted: 2008-12-04 8:33 PM
    Hometown: everywhere

    Comment:

    "The initial shock of Beatie has faded to something resembling understanding." No, actually it's more like people are tired of hearing about Thomas Beatie and wish she'd go away. She's a man wannabe; she may have had her breasts removed and takes male hormones, but if she stopped the hormones she'd be right back to what she is: a woman. She still has her female reproductive parts, for chrissakes. No matter how much she may want to be a he, she'll always have that pesky XX chromosome pattern that can't be changed. Female for life, babe, no matter what cosmetic changes you make to your body.


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