If you’re a sucker for headlines like me, then you probably clicked on one of the many articles saying Queen Latifah came out during her performance at the Long Beach Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade May 19 and thought, huh? The so-called proof for this coming out of the closet was the fact that while she was MC-ing the event, she stated “Y’all my peeps, I love you!” and suddenly that meant she was admitting to being a lesbian.

Exactly.

Entertainment Weekly caught up with the queen to ask her about the buzz over her assumed homosexual admission and she told the site:

“That definitely wasn’t the case. I’ve never dealt with the question of my personal life in public. It’s just not gonna happen.”

She also explained the “my peeps”  statement and why she was showing love to the LGBTQ community.

“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. Tupac happened to be in town, so he came to kick it with me. This was the early ’90s. And the boys were like, ‘Take your shirt off, Tupac!’ He wasn’t doing that. But we had a blast in there.”

I’m pretty sure someone is going to think she just outed Tupac as well, but I’m going to leave that alone. The bottom line is if at 42 Dana Owens hasn’t come out to say I’m a lesbian yet, let’s just accept that it’s not gone happn.’

Do you think Queen Latifah should have let the coming out story stand or is it good she explained her comment?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

More on Madame Noire!

• Jay Electronica: The Homewrecking Other Man?
• Where Are They Now? 10 Black Actresses Who Should Have Blown Up Big…
• Sun Sets: 6 Summer Must-Have Accessories
• Get A Little Closer: Romantic Movies To See With Your Summer Boo
• MN Exclusive: Malinda Williams On Her Most Challenging Role
• Kanye I Want You To Take Your Own Advice: Drive Slow Homie
• What About Ciara? Knicks Star Amar’e Stoudemire Proposes To Mother of His Children

Source: Newsone.com

Yesterday was a bittersweet day for Long Beach native Brian Banks. Ten years after being accused of rape and five years after serving time for the crime he didn’t commit, a judge told the 26-year-old that his case was dismissed.

In 2002, Brian was a popular 16-year-old student at Polytechnic High and a star athlete on the football team who was already being scouted by eight colleges. He verbally accepted an offer to attend the University of Southern California on a four-year scholarship when an accusation from a fellow classmate and childhood friend took it all away. Wanetta Gibson, who was 15 years old at the time, said Banks raped and kidnapped her on school grounds and the rest was history.

“We went into an area on campus that is known as a makeout spot, we kissed, we groped we touched, but we never had sex,” Brian told ABC. We ended things on a good note. I went back to class, by the end of the day I was in custody.”

And that’s where he stayed. Facing a sentence of 41 years to life in prison if convicted, Brian’s lawyer urged him to take a plea deal. And so he did. Brian told reporters:

“She told me I was a big black teenager and no jury would believe anything I said.”

After five years in prison and five years on parole, Brian reached out to the California Innocence Project to clear his name but a random friend request actually did more for him than the project could. When Brian got out, Wanetta wanted to be friends on Facebook. Brian said he sent his accuser a message asking why she sent the request and she replied:

“I figured you and I could let bygones be bygones. I was immature then, but I’m much more mature now.’”

Right there I would have caught a murder case, but I digress. Brian agreed to meet up with Wanetta and when he did, she admitted that she lied and said she was willing to help clear his name. There was one problem though, she was worried she would have to pay back the $1.5 million settlement that she collected from the school after she sued them over lack of safety on campus. During a conversation that was secretly recorded, Wanetta was quoted as saying:

“‘I will go through with helping you but it’s like at the same time all that money they gave us, I mean gave me, I don’t want to have to pay it back.’”

Her admission was all Brian needed to clear his name and that’s exactly what happened yesterday. Now the former NFL hopeful wants to put his life back together.

“He’s had a monitor on his ankle since that day, it’s been difficult for him to get work, he’s been struggling in the community with people looking at him like a sex offender,” said Justin Brooks with California Project Innocence.

Brian’s lawyers have informed him that he has a right to sue Wanetta for her false claim against him but so far he hasn’t stated whether he’ll go through with that or not. He said his focus is to get back to football and recover his decade-long dream.

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

More on Madame Noire!

• Break-Ups To Make-Ups: Couples We Would’ve Like To See Give It Another Shot
• The Hair She Dared to Wear: The Coiffures of Patti Labelle
• Salt & Peplum: 10 Peplum Dresses That Need a Place in Your Closet
• Boy Pats Obama’s Head, Boy Makes History
• No Need To Call Tyrone: 7 Ways To Bow Out Of A Relationship Gracefully
• My Hair Story: I’m Going To Miss My Dominicanos
• Don’t Lie, You Were Jamming Too: 7 Singers & Groups We Used to Get Made Fun Of For Listening To

Source: auibtimes.com

Queen Latifah has been notoriously private about her suspected lesbian lifestyle so the fact that she’s participating in the upcoming Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Festival appears to be a “coming out” for the actress, even if she doesn’t say a word.

The Queen will headline the festival which will take place May 19 and is the city’s second biggest annual event, drawing around 75,000 attendees over two days. Details about her performance have been kept totally on the low but everyone is wondering whether Ms. Dana Owens will stand before the masses acknowledging herself as a lesbian woman or simply come on stage, do her thing, and let the public speculate as they’ve been doing for years. That’s probably the best route to go because the moment Queen Latifah decides to come out, the press will be running behind her day and night trying to get her to speak on life as a lesbian woman, and for someone who doesn’t run seeking attention from the media I feel that would be a bit much for the Queen.

It won’t be much longer until we have an answer—or proof of one—but more power to her if this move signifies she’s more comfortable being who she is. And if not, we’re still sure she’ll give a great performance.

What do you think about Queen Latifah’s gig? Is it a huge deal or no biggie?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

More on Madame Noire!

• Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind the Making of “What’s Love Got to Do With It”
• Where Are They Now? The Cast of “Family Matters”
• Can We Ever Get The Black Family Sitcom Back?
• Ratch on Ratch on Ratch: 6 Questions I Need Answered About Basketball Wives’
• The Mane Balancing Act: Exercising And Your Hair
• What’s Love Got To Do With It? Things You Really Need To Make A Relationship Work
• Post-Baby Fab: Fantasia Shows Off New Curves, New Hair & New Colorful Look