Wanda Sykes is one of those people that everyone knows. She's been doing standup comedy since 1987, but many just know her as some indefinable presence in comedy - having spent time as an actress on TV and in movies, as well as a writer for The Chris Rock Show. It's easy to take for granted what a brilliant comedian she is.

Now, more than 20 years into her career as a standup, Sykes' comedy is becoming more personal and confessional.

"I think that I probably didn't find my voice onstage until about 2000," says Sykes. "It took a while. And then, on my last HBO special (2009's I'ma Be Me), it all kind of fell into place. ... I got more personal, and just started talking about my family and coming out and everything. It was the complete package."

Sykes, who had always made sharp observations about the world in her comedy, began focusing inward and talking about her life. In 2008, she publicly came out as gay in the aftermath of Prop. 8 being passed.

"I never really considered myself in the closet," says Sykes. "I was pretty much an open book - It just depends on who was looking at it. If you looked and saw my life, you'd go, 'Oh yeah, she's a lesbian.' It just wasn't an audiobook, yet, I guess. I wasn't really telling everybody ... (The passage of Prop. 8) lit a fire under me, and I was just speaking up, speaking out. I didn't think, 'Today, I'm gonna come out.' I was just at a rally, and they asked me to come up and say something, and I did."

Even though things like the passage of Prop. 8 and the need for a fight for equality are depressing, Sykes tries to remain optimistic.

"I try to stay optimistic, because you do see positive signs, like the ending of ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' And if you look at the polls, you see that people are leaning more toward marriage equality in California," says Sykes. "I guess it depends on where you live, your level of depression."

On I'ma Be Me, Sykes has a great bit where she talks about which is worse: being gay or being black. To paraphrase, she says being gay is worse, because you never have to come out to your parents as black.

As Sykes explores who she is as a person, her comedy continues to grow. More than 20 years in, she's better than ever

[Pantages Theater, Friday, Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m., $49-$89, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5890]