“I am very proud. I’m proud to be a woman. I’m proud to be a black woman. I’m proud to be gay. And I love you all. Now let’s go get our damn equal rights – come on!” – Wanda Sykes speaks out at the Las Vegas anti-Proposition 8 rally.

It was a big week for the same-sex marriage cause. And no one got more press than Wanda Sykes, who took to the stage in Las Vegas and confirmed what has been an open secret for years. She’s gay. But, not only that – she’s married to a woman! That part surprised even moi. You’d think if a celeb legally wed someone of the same sex in California, some snappy tabloid would have picked up on it – to say nothing of my sneaky sources. And yet, this one slipped by us all. Wanda and her wife were wed on Oct. 25 and she’s going public to protect their union.

Like Wanda Sykes, I’ve decided that I, too, am proud to be a black woman. Sure, biologically and genetically I’m not a woman. And I still have male genitalia. And I clearly don’t look black. But in my head, I’m a black woman. Isn’t that enough?

One group is so pissed off about Proposition 8, they’re promoting a different idea – “Day Without a Gay.” On Dec. 10, everyone who is gay is supposed to stay home. We are not supposed to call in sick – we should call in “gay.” There won’t be a waiter or hairdresser to be had. I don’t know how good an idea it is to get political inspiration from a John Stamos movie!

When people ask me what my style is, I often tell them that I look like a former Mitzi Gaynor dancer. So I fit in quite well last week when La Gaynor was feted at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on the release of her DVD Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years. While I, alas, would likely have been her dancer from the “Not So Special Years,” I got to spend time with her actual dancers, co-stars, and celebrity pals. People like Bob Mackie, Linda Hopkins, Carl Reiner, Rip Taylor, Jane Withers, Lily Tomlin, Maryanne Mobley, Gary Collins and Ann Jeffries were on hand to celebrate a lady who epitomized “star” and “glamour.” After screening the documentary (which is FABULOUS), Mitzi got up and did a number with Alton Ruff, one of her old dancers, and announced that she’s hitting the road in 2009 with a brand new stage show: Razzle Dazzle: My Life Behind The Sequins. I’m kvelling! BTW, you know what comes between Mitzi and her sequins? NOTHING!

Chi Chi LaRue’s annual birthday soirée brings out a similarly glamorous and scantily-clad crowd, and thank God for that. The directrix looked beyond gorgeous, showing off her newly-svelte figure and having a ball with the boys. From the mainstream we had Bruce Vilanch, Calpernia Adams, Marcellas Reynolds, Patrick David, Jeffrey Sanker, Debby Holiday, and others, while the skin trade was represented by folks like Sister Roma, Wolf Hudson, Kurt Young, JC Adams, Johnny Hazzard, Blake Riley, Dino Phillips, Jason Sechrest and Luca DiCorso. I expected to stay 90 minutes, but was one of the last to leave. Happy Birthday, Lady.

Kathleen Turner is returning to the New York stage – off-Broadway! She’ll join my darling Charles Busch in The Third Story, which begins previews at the Lucille Lortel Theatre on Jan. 14. When I asked Charles how this casting coupe came about, he said, “I was very cool and business-like. I simply told her I was prepared to jump from her 39th floor window if she didn’t say yes. I guess she didn’t want my blood on her hands.”

Hunky John Lloyd Young has been snagged his first leading role in a feature film – he’ll be playing the title character in Oy Vey, My Son is Gay, which will begin filming next week. From winning a Tony for playing Frankie Valli to playing the gay son of Lainie Kazan. Somewhere, Gavin McLeod is smiling …

Speaking of Broadway hunks, Hugh Jackman was just named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” for 2008 … which I believe means he has six good weeks left. He says that coming home in his costumes keeps the spark alive with his wife, Debora-Lee. Yet, people (like me) continue to speculate (or fantasize) about his sexuality. In one of the more interesting stories, he says that when he played Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz, his wife would often be in the restroom and hear people ask, “Is he or isn’t he gay? I don’t know, he’s married. Oh, who cares, I’m sure he’s gay.” Deb would call out from her stall, “He’s not gay. I’m telling you he’s not.” This would usually be met with silence, until someone whispered, “I think that’s the wife!”

Last week we had one-time actor Jesse Metcalfe being whisked through Heathrow Airport in a wheelchair after falling from a balcony in Monte Carlo (which sounds like an awful lot of traveling for someone without a job). Now we have Winona Ryder being met at Heathrow by paramedics and rushed to a local hospital. Specific details of her malady have not been released – one unknown source claims she accidentally took an overdose of Xanax and had to have her stomach pumped. But that’s not the story we’ve heard. Weeks ago, one of our more reliable sources told us that Ryder was recently diagnosed with MS! While we don’t know how advanced the illness is or what treatment she might have sought, it could answer a whole lot of questions.

This week’s “Ask Billy” question is from George in Canada, who gushes, “I just saw the New Kids on the Block in concert and loved it. They’re so gorgeous and at one point, Jordan rips his shirt open and showed off an amazing body! I couldn’t even tell you what he was singing because everyone was screaming – boys and girls! Do you have any pics of this? Please!”

Sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t have pics – I have VIDEO! Yes, you put out those feelers, and what comes back? Jordan’s open shirt flying in the wind during “Baby I Believe in You” with the smoke machine working overtime! But, you won’t find me mocking him. No siree! Not with those abs and pecs staring me in the face. I have to thank George for bringing this to my attention, and I’ll happily share the footage on my site.

I’m gonna slip in a little celebrity nude because this one titillates me. A Spanish paparazzo (maybe he was Italian) snagged a pic of Prince William peeing in public! There are two intriguing pieces of information that we learn from this photo. First, his dick has an ENORMOUS head! And second, he’s circumcised (yes, the photo is that clear). This reminds us of how Princess Diana broke with royal tradition and refused to have her sons circumcised. However, we did hear that, shortly after his mom’s death, William did in fact have this “procedure” done. And the proof is on my site!

When we’re worrying about Wee Willie’s wee-wee, it’s definitely time to end yet another column. Boy, talk about a mouthful. Now that Thanksgiving is over (and we’re mighty thankful to all of you for keeping us on top), we’ll be starting up our Billy’s Gift Giving Suggestions. We’ll be bringing you some of our favorite products which would be perfect for that special someone. Make sure to keep tabs on the latest gossip on my site, which you’ll find the link to at www.gaylesbiantimes.com/links/1092. And if you have a specific question, feel free to drop a note to and I promise to get back to you before I hit the road with Mitzi! So, until next time, remember, one man’s filth is another man’s bible.