It was established in the gossip press, the urban press and by one blasé candid photo shoot on a yacht in 2010, but some people still don’t believe that Queen Latifah is gay. She is. For real. She had a cute, personal trainer girlfriend for years, Jeanette Jenkins, but I’m not sure if Latifah and Jeanette are still together. Last September, The Enquirer reported that Latifah had broken off her eight-year relationship with Jeanette and started up with her jumpoff, a woman named Eboni Nichols. Eboni and Latifah were even photographed together at last year’s US Open. Eboni is the woman with the caramel-colored hair in the photos in this post. Jeanette is the one with a short Halle Berry ‘do.
So… yeah. Latifah is either bisexual with a history of long-term relationships with woman, or she just self-identifies as gay. She’s never given an interview confirming her sexuality (and she shouldn’t have to), and she’s never forced us to buy a “I’m so straight” PR campaign either (which I hope she would never do). Maybe Latifah is just tired of living in the glass closet, or maybe she just wants everyone to know that she’s cool with the gay community… because Latifah has been named the headliner of this year’s Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Festival. HUZZAH!
Queen Latifah is set to headline this year’s Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Festival. It will be her first engagement at a Pride celebration, Global Grind reports.
Long Beach Pride Co-President Pat Crosby released this statement in anticipation of her appearance: “From hip-hop to R&B, pop to standards, Queen Latifah is the voice of our generation, and her concert here will be phenomenal. For her to make her worldwide Pride debut here in Long Beach is a tremendous testament to the popularity of our celebration and to the strength of our community.”
People have been wondering out loud for years about whether the 42-year-old could be gay, but she’s never spoken publicly about her sexual orientation, as far as we know. Some are speculating that the festival might be the perfect time for her to come out of the closet. Perhaps. But it’s just as likely that the singer-actress will view it as the perfect time to do whatever she wants, decline to make a big announcement and encourage the rest of us to continue to mind our own business.
[From The Root]
If this is how Queen Latifah chooses to “come out,” God bless. I’m happy for her. I’ve always been happy for her. Personally, I don’t think Latifah felt like she had to hide her sexuality or anything, I think she just feels like it’s nobody’s business in general, but she’s not going to lie about it or anything. Yay for the Queen!
Archive photos courtesy of Bauer-Griffin, Pacific Coast News, additional photo by WENN.
