Queen Latifah (Finally) Coming Out?

The internets are truly abuzz with the "totally unsourced rumor about Queen Latifah allegedly proposing to her girlfriend", which our good friend Shana Naomi at Out.com's Popnography describes as "just that: totally unsourced and unconfirmed."

The (alleged) girlfriend is longtime "personal trainer" Jeanette Jenkins and the story has gained huge traction this week after a tasty blind item on Page Six of the New York Post: "Which big Hollywood actress is about to come out of the closet? She's been living with her girlfriend in a small town, where all the neighbors know, and the two are now engaged to be married?"

Like in all blind items, the devil is in the details. Queen Latifah was the subject of a People cover where boasted that she’s proud of her plus-size. In the interview, the Queen once again refused to comment on her sexual orientation. The Page Six reference to a "small town" could be suburban Wayne, New Jersey, where Queen Latifah reportedly owns a home.

Or, the rumor could be totally coming out of left field. "For an industry where everyone likes to say it's nowhere near as "hard" for women to come out," Shana Naomi notes at Popnography. "We're hardly seeing an epidemic of loose-lipped lesbians.

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Comments

[sundaydinner]

Give it another decade Queen by then there will be nobody that cares...
For gossip sake this would be hotter if it were someone like Rihanna, Ciara, or Alicia.

[Robguy]

A while back I heard that in October Jake would be coming out since he and his partner were going to be daddies with a surrogate. Now he's engaged to Reese.

It would probably help people get used to gays if more big names came out, but I think it's more likely that people will get used to it before big names come out.

[Michel]

Now I am just waiting for Rockmond Dunbar to come out and I will be set for life!

[taylor Siluwé]

I hope this is true. But I doubt it.

[Dean Green]

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose" from the song "Bobby McGee" written by Kriss Kristoferson and sung by Janice Joplin is one of my favorite expressions. Queen Latifa has a lot to lose so she is not so free. I wonder how many more acting jobs opposite male leads like LLCoolJ and Steve Martin she would get if she came out as a lesbian and I'm sure she wonders too. (From Jasmine Cannick's blog it is known that Queen Lafifa goes to lesbian clubs in the Los Angeles area.) I really don't blame her. I suspect that formally coming out would cost her millions of dollars. A it is, she can go where whe wants to go and do what she wants to do without much risk to her pocket book. (Hearing about someone going to a lesbian club, having a girlfriend or even seeing someone at a lesbian club and being introduced the the girlfriend is not the same as having a news conference about the matter or shouting "I'm here. I'm queer. Get used to it." from the rooftops.)

[Dluv]

I kinda don't blame Lahtifah for not coming out yet. Black celebs just don't have the luxury. I don't think she'll lose roles or money, but the press, especially the black press will focus on her sexuality exclusively now. Neil Patrick Harris and T.R, Knight can come out and say they don't want to discuss it and they'll get that respect. Latifah has movies coming out, she's producing movies and she has a sensational CD out now. But what does everybody want to talk about? Lesbians, lesbians, lesbians! And she hasn't even come out yet.

[Jim]

So, what Dluv seems to be saying is that the gay American world will always have two parts: whites, who can come out and live as they please, and black folks, who will forever have to live in shame and hide from the world because the black community will be unforgiving.

Is this something to be content with? And if not, wouldn’t the situation be helped if someone with the wealth and security of Queen Latifah challenges it?

The folks down in the trenches have much MORE to lose, in relative terms, by coming out than a Queen Latifah. Even if she never sells another record or acts in another movie (and I truly doubt that would be the case), she would still have enough money to live on for the rest of her life, unless she has been a total fool. The rest of us don’t have that, but some of us still have to courage to stand up, despite the risks.

[soul]

why should Latifah be the spokes person for anything or anyone?
Why must she live her personal life in the public eye?

I'm surprised by black people who think that Latifah 'coming out' as a lesbian will help the plight of and black american lesbian or gay person.

We have decent law abiding black people all over America has that stopped the mainstream from stereotyping most black people as degenerate thugs? erm HELL NO!.

I don't get why Latifah is being hounded into telling everyone who she sleeps with...why?
It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever

[Jim]

1. No one is suggesting that Queen Latifah “live her personal life in the public eye.” Telling someone you are married is not living your personal life in the public eye. Only homophobia makes you think it is.

2. Queen Latifah can do whatever she wants. She can donate money to Mitt Romney’s campaign, if she wants to. But she would do a helluva lot more good if she came out.

3. Why? For the obvious reason that she is well-respected. Her coming out might not change some anti-gay pastor’s mind about anything, but it could well help change some young person’s mind about gay people.

4. “We have decent law abiding black people all over America has that stopped the mainstream from stereotyping most black people as degenerate thugs? erm HELL NO!” Actually, hell yes. Whatever you may think of Bill Cosby or Oprah Winfrey, to mention just two people, they are not examples of the mainstream media stereotyping black people as thugs. And believe it or not, millions of white Americans, racist though they may still be, do not believe all black people are thugs.

Are the MSM fucked up in how they present black people? Yes, very. But if all black people actually WERE thugs, do you think things could be worse? Yes, much worse.

5. In 1986, Supreme Court justice Byron White cast the deciding vote that kept anti-sodomy laws constitutional in the U.S. It turned out later than one of his law clerks was gay but closeted. White later said that if he had known more about the lives of gay people, he would have ruled differently.

This same story plays itself out over and over. If people know gay people whom they respect, they tend to be less homophobic.

Queen Latifah does not HAVE to do anything. But she is in a position to do us all a good thing. I would respect her more if she did.

And you know what? So would she.

[Dluv]

Jim, I'm not saying she should live her life in shame, I'm sure she would be the first person to tell you she don't give a f*ck what anyone thinks of her, but I believe she just doesn't want to discuss it. Which is well within her right. And maybe she's out to the people that are most important to her, her family and friends. When you have websites like Mediatakeout and people like Wendy Williams treat being gay still as a OMG clutch the pearls Salem witch hunt that is hard to come against. And I agree Jim that those of us in the trenches have it much harder.

[C. Baptiste-Williams]

I say Queen keep them guessing... because I personally don't care what or who you are. I don't need you or any other celeb to come out to validate my existence either.

In your interviews I don't care to hear about how your mom is doing, what new trinket you just bought or your sexuality... I just want to hear about your work and what your next project is.

[Me]

I just don't see why everybody is so hung up on this ... let her do it in her own time.

[Derrick from Philly]

She has the most beautiful teeth in show business. Gorgeous Lesbian lady. If I'd had a sex change, I'd be a groupie for Queen Latifa. Bet y'all didn't know that, did ya': so many male-to-female transsexuals have the operation and become Lesbians. Life is wonderful, aint it?

[bamjamz]

I sort of don't blame Queen for taking her time if she is indeed going to make an announcement. As mentioned earlier, black actors just don't have the luxury. Have you read some of the black entertainment blogs? The level of rabid homophobia in some of the comments threads can be devastating even for a casual observer, much less for an actor out there trying to succeed in an industry, while fighting against an already racist casting system.

I think what would probably hurt her and what upsets me is that our own people are the most rabidly homophobic people I've ever had to deal with, and what pisses me off further is that they use the Bible to valid their ignorant ass beliefs.

Nah, Queen, play it smart like Ellen, and perhaps Jodie, who has already made some not so subtle statements confirming her sexuality - wait until you're FIRMLY established within the industry, meaning, you have the financial security and investments to sustain yourself. That you're able to finance or secure financing for your own projects. THEN if you FEEL like it, make your announcement. Only YOU can look out for YOU Others feel like YOU have to come out in order to make the game easier for THEM to play. Who the hell says so? Let THEM play by the game by their own rules to make it in the biz. You don't owe that a damn, thing, sweetie.

[shunta swiney]

IT'S HER THING SO WHAT LIVE LIFE

[DFS]

I respect that she isnt going out of her way to prove she is straight, or talking about waiting on the right man, unlike some closeted gay filmmakers I could name

[Regina]

OK. She is officially King Latifa. Now what?