Wanda Sykes, a longtime writer for Chris Rock, has been recognized numerous times as one of the funniest women in America. She's also something of an icon for gay women. Sykes was raised in a traditional household and struggled with her identity for some time, marrying and having two children with a man in the 1990s. After her divorce she felt it was important to come out as gay after California passed Proposition 8, which she felt was unacceptable.
The decision to come out was difficult for her parents to take, and after Sykes married her French girlfriend Alex Niedbalski in 2009 there was a period of estrangement. The birth of the couple's twin son and daughter in 2011 helped to build bridges, and we're happy to report that the relationship has been rebuilt. Sykes continues to be a loud and proud campaigner for gay rights.