Queen Latifah: I Didn’t Come Out Of The Closet At Gay Pride Parade
It was reported earlier that Queen Latifah had officially come out of the closet at the Long Beach lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Pride festival. But the actress said that it isn’t true. Latifah said that she may be gay and she may be straight. But she made it clear that she did not announce her sexuality to the world last month in California.
Rumors about Queen Latifah’s sexuality have been circulating throughout her career, so when Latifah took to the stage at the LGBT Pride Festival in Long Beach, and told the crowd that she could “really feel the unity,” many people took it as a defining moment for the singer.
But Latifah said that it isn’t true. The actress told Entertainment Weekly that she didn’t declare her sexuality on stage and she won’t be talking about her sexuality to the public anytime soon.
Latifah said:
“I’ve never dealt with the question of my personal life in public. It’s just not gonna happen.”
The singer has held a similar stance throughout her career. In 2008, she told the NY Times:
“I don’t have a problem discussing the topic of somebody being gay, but I do have a problem discussing my personal life… I don’t care if people think I’m gay or not. Assume whatever you want. You do it anyway.”
Queen Latifah said that she supported the LGBT community and loves to play at gay nightclubs and pride parades, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s a lesbian.
She added:
“To me, doing a gay pride show is one of the most fun things. My first show that paid more than $10,000 was in a gay club on New Year’s Eve in San Francisco. When people are going through hatred and bullying, the biggest thing to fight that is love… So that’s all I encouraged my audience to do that night: to share their light and share their love. Period.”
Last month similar rumors circulated about actress Raven Symone. Symone had a similar message to her fans, saying that whether she is gay or not is irrelevant and only important to herself and her partner.
Do you think its necessary for LGBT actors and actresses to declare their sexuality? Are you disappointed that Queen Latifah didn’t come out of the closet?
