Raven-Symone says she's a lbian, grateful for legalized gay marriage | CNN

Contents:

• RAVEN-SYMONE: I’M NOT GAY, AND I’M NOT AIN-AMERIN
• RAVEN-SYMONE SAYS SHE’S A LBIAN, GRATEFUL FOR LEGALIZED GAY MARRIAGE
• RAVEN-SYMONé SAYS SHE SHUT DOWN DISNEY'S PLANS FOR HER CHARACTER TO BE GAY 'RAVEN'S HOME': 'I'M NOT BEG MYSELF ON THIS SHOW'
• RAVEN-SYMONE -- I HAVE A GIRLIEND ... BUT DON'T CALL ME 'GAY' OR 'AIN AMERIN'
• RAVEN-SYMONé: WHY I DIDN’T WANT MY ‘RAVEN’S HOME’ CHARACTER TO BE GAY
• WHY RAVEN-SYMONé REJECTED DISNEY’S OFFER TO MAKE HER CHARACTER GAY IN ‘RAVEN’S HOME’
• DISNEY OFFERED TO MAKE RAVEN-SYMONE’S CHARACTER GAY THAT'S SO RAVEN REBOOT
• RAVEN-SYMONE SAID SHE TURNED DOWN CHANGE OF HER CHARACTER FROM STRAIGHT TO GAY
• RAVEN-SYMONé KISSED, BUT LEGALLY, NO ONE WAS ALLOWED TO TELLINCLUDG HER NOW-WIFE. BY KASE WICKMANMAY 31, 2023LEXIE MORELAND/GETTY IMAGSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVENON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS, TURNS OUT, ARE AMONG THE MANY THGS THAT ARE SO RAVEN.FORMER CHILD STAR RAVEN-SYMONé, WHO CURRENTLY STARS  RAVEN’S HOME, REVEALED AN TERVIEW WH HOWIE MANL THAT BEFORE MARRYG HER WIFE MIRANDA PEARMAN-MADAY JUNE 2020, SHE’D PRENTED ALL HER HOOKUPS WH NDAS “BEFORE THE NGHTY TIM E.” “IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND BEE ’S VERY IMPERSONAL, BUT SOMEONE OUR POSN NEEDS TO DO THAT,” SHE EXPLAED. “HASHTAGS, REAL LIFE, THEY CHANGE THE DYNAMIC OF HAVG AN TIMATE RELATNSHIP WH SOMEBODY." AND, Y, EVEN PEARMAN-MADAY HAD TO SIGN ON THE DOTTED LE. WHY? BEE HER MOM SAID SO, DUH. “MY MOM HAD BEEN BUGGG ME,” RAVEN-SYMONé SAID. "SHE WAS LIKE, ‘YOU GOT TO GET SIGNED. I'M LIKE, ‘SHE'S OM THE DTRY.’ AND MY MOM WAS BUGGG ME."EVEN THOUGH THEY BOTH FELT THAT THERE WAS “SOMETHG DIFFERENT” ABOUT THE RELATNSHIP, PEARMAN-MADAY AGREED. “WE BOTH WERE LIKE, ‘THIS TAK AWAY THE GENUENS OF ALL, BUT WE ALSO UNRSTOOD THAT WE LIVE HOLLYWOOD,'" RAVEN-SYMONé SAID. "SHE KNOWS WHO SHE IS. SO SHE DID .”RAVEN-SYMONé ANNOUNCED SHE WAS GAY 2013, AND LATER EXPLAED THAT SHE HADN’T EVER THOUGHT SHE’D BE ABLE TO ACKNOWLEDGE HER SEXUALY.“I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD E OUT BEE MY PERSONAL LIFE DIDN’T MATTER,” SHE SAID AT THE TIME. “IT WAS ONLY WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SOLD AS THE RAVEN-SYMONé BRAND.”THE STAR, WHO GOT HER FIRST PART AS A KID ON THE COSBY SHOW, SAID THAT AS HER FAY'S PRIMARY BREADWNER OM A YOUNG AGE, SHE DIDN'T WANT TO STEP OUT OF LE. NOW, HOWEVER, SHE TOLD MANL, SHE HAS A BETTER SENSE OF HERSELF AND HER PUBLIC IMAGE, CLUDG WHAT SHE'D LIKE TO SHARE WH THE WORLD. “I'M VERY, VERY OUT,” SHE TOLD MANL, SAYG THAT HER CISN TO REVEAL HER SEXUALY "WASN'T A DISCSN WH DISNEY.” “I THK THAT THE EARLIER YEARS OF HOLLYWOOD, Y,” SHE SAID, ACKNOWLEDGG THE REALY OF THE STUDS' POSSIBLE DISAPPROVAL, BEFORE NODDG AT PROGRS: “DISNEY HAS DONE SOME AMAZG WORK WH UNRSTANDG THAT THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TYP OF PEOPLE THIS WORLD, AND EVERYBODY NEEDS A CHANCE TO BE SHOWSED.”“IT'S BE YOU AND WE WILL ACCEPT YOU. AS LONG AS YOU SHOW UP TO WORK AND AS LONG AS YOU ARE POSIVE AND YOU'RE NOT BRGG ANYBODY ELSE DOWN FOR YOUR BENEF, 'S LIKE, WHAT I DO AT HOME IS WHAT I DO AT HOME, AND WHAT I DO AT WORK IS WHAT I DO AT WORK.”AS FOR HER FAY, HOWEVER, SHE SAID, “NOT ALL PARENTS ARE ACCEPTG OF EVERYTHG,” AND THAT “'S A JOURNEY.” “I GREW UP A BLACK FAY THAT LIKE, YOU GOT YOUR BUTT BEAT IF YOU DID ANYTHG DISRPECTFUL, THAT EMBARRASSED YOUR PARENTS,” SHE SAID. AS FOR THOSE NDAS, THOUGH, SHE'S FELY DISCLOSG. IN TAIL. “AND 'S GOTTEN WORSE NOW," SHE SAID. "THEY HAVE NSENT FORMS TO WHERE THEY'RE LIKE, ‘ARE YOU OKAY WH ANAL, ARE YOU OKAY WH THIS, N I DO THIS, YOU N DO THIS TO ME—THAT’S A PART OF NOW.” “I STILL GOT ALL OF 'EM,” SHE SAID, LGHG, “SO NOBODY N SAY ANYTHG.” MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALWHY THE GEIA INDICTMENT AGAST TMP AND HIS ALLI IS THE MOST SWEEPG YETIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMER25 PERFECT TV EPISOS FROM THE LAST 25 YEARSA NEW SLIM AARONS BOOK CAPTUR A LOST WORLDFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)MOST POPULARSARA RAMIREZ ISSU STHG RPONSE TO ANTI–CHE DIAZ PROFILEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MK, THIEL, ZUCKERBERG, AND ANDRESEN—FOUR BILLNAIRE TECHNO-OLIGARCHS—ARE CREATG AN ALTERNATE, AUTOCRATIC REALYBY JONATHAN TAPLOUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLKASE WICKMAN

RAVEN-SYMONE: I’M NOT GAY, AND I’M NOT AIN-AMERIN

Raven-Symone: Don't label me gay. Actrs Raven-Symone chews labels like gay and Ain-Amerin.

That’s what the former “Cosby Show” star told Oprah Wey on OWN on Sunday night, as she explaed why she don’t like to be labeled as gay or Ain-Amerin. “I don’t want to be labeled gay, ” Raven-Symone said.

Raven-Symone says she’s a lbian, grateful for legalized gay marriage.

RAVEN-SYMONE SAYS SHE’S A LBIAN, GRATEFUL FOR LEGALIZED GAY MARRIAGE

The former Disney star’s sexualy has been headl sce she tweeted Augt 2013 that she was happy for the legalizatn of gay marriage, as meant that she uld “fally get married! But on Wey’s uch, the That’s So Raven and Cosby Show actrs seemed to fall to a very mon rhetoril pattern among celebri, sayg that her sexualy is somethg that nnot be labeled — that, ed, she’s post-gay.

While ncedg to Wey that she’s a relatnship wh a woman, Raven-Symoné said, “I don’t want to be labeled ‘gay. ” While the extent to which Raven-Symoné rejects labels is fairly new, she’s hardly the first celebry to ph back agast tegorizatn as “gay” — even while acknowledgg a same-sex relatnship.

” Though Harris is one of the most succsful openly gay celebri, even he has ma clear that ’s much easier to back away om beg intified, first, as gay. Jt about every major gay star of the recent past has e out wh a veat — that they don’t want this to be the only thg we know about them.

RAVEN-SYMONé SAYS SHE SHUT DOWN DISNEY'S PLANS FOR HER CHARACTER TO BE GAY 'RAVEN'S HOME': 'I'M NOT BEG MYSELF ON THIS SHOW'

” It’s easy to unrstand why this happens: for many celebri, beg gay means datg entirely private, and shyg away om intifyg as a member of a muny. Raven-Symoné wasn't ready to e out as gay until a -star gave her the ph she need to mter up the urage. The 36-year-old looks back on her journey to beg openly gay a new terview wh Them, a webse foced on LGBTQ+ issu.

When Green told the actor that he had watched her grow up onscreen, the nversatn turned to the topic of role mols and the fact that there weren't many openly gay role mols pop culture at the time. Raven-Symone says "It's great to know" she n have a legal gay marriage. “I am very happy that gay marriage is openg up around the untry and is beg accepted, ” the actrs said a statement through her reprentativ.

“I was exced to hear today that more stat legalized gay marriage.

RAVEN-SYMONE -- I HAVE A GIRLIEND ... BUT DON'T CALL ME 'GAY' OR 'AIN AMERIN'

She was jt supportg the fact that she heard on NPR that more stat legalized gay marriage today. Raven-Symoné said she "didn't feel fortable" wh her character beg gay "Raven's Home. Raven-Symoné said that she told Disney producers that she didn't want her character to e out as gay the "That's So Raven" reboot, "Raven's Home.

The spoff, which premiered roughly 10 years after the first seri end, followed the bt iends after they'd grown up and had their own a vio terview for Them, published on YouTube last week, Raven-Symoné said that she didn't thk was a good enough reason for Raven to be gay the reboot jt bee the actor had e out as gay. "They were like, 'Do you want Raven to be gay? Raven Baxter's not gay.

RAVEN-SYMONé: WHY I DIDN’T WANT MY ‘RAVEN’S HOME’ CHARACTER TO BE GAY

'"This is not the first time the Disney star has talked about not wantg her Raven to be gay. But Don't Call Me Gay OR Ain Amerin. Raven spoke for the first time about her tweet celebratg the Supreme Court lg on gay marriage last year -- and explaed she's a relatnship wh a woman, but add, "I don't want to be labeled gay, I want to be a human who lov humans.

WHY RAVEN-SYMONé REJECTED DISNEY’S OFFER TO MAKE HER CHARACTER GAY IN ‘RAVEN’S HOME’

“They were like, ‘Do you want Raven to be gay? “Raven Baxter’s not gay.

Raven-Symoné wasn't ready to e out as gay until a -star gave her the ph she need to mter up the 36-year-old looks back on her journey to beg openly gay a new terview wh Them, a webse foced on LGBTQ+ issu. ’ And I was like, ‘No, I’m not, ’” she Green told the actor that he had watched her grow up onscreen, the nversatn turned to the topic of role mols and the fact that there weren't many openly gay role mols pop culture at the time. After years the entertament dtry, Symoné me out as gay 2013, when few famo people were gay.

Acrdg to Symoné, while preparg for “Raven’s Home, ” the Disney producers asked if she wanted her character to be gay like her. Disney Producers Offered To Make Raven Baxter Gay In ‘Raven’s Home’. In a newly published vio terview wh Them, Symoné revealed that she refed Disney’s offer to make her Disney character gay.

DISNEY OFFERED TO MAKE RAVEN-SYMONE’S CHARACTER GAY THAT'S SO RAVEN REBOOT

Durg the terview, Symoné revealed that when she asked the producers why they wanted Baxter to be gay, they said was bee she was. Raven-Symoné Says Raven Baxter Wasn’t Gay.

Symoné further explaed that Baxter, the Disney show, had never shown any sexual inty and so sudnly g out as gay was kd of off. Raven Baxter’s not gay, ” Symoné said.

Disney asked Raven-Symone if she wanted to make Raven Baxter gay the That's So Raven reboot Raven's Home, but the star turned down the offer. Disney offered to make Raven-Symoné’s character gay the That's So Raven reboot, Raven's Home.

RAVEN-SYMONE SAID SHE TURNED DOWN CHANGE OF HER CHARACTER FROM STRAIGHT TO GAY

Speakg to the “Pri” podst, Symone said that Disney offered to make the sp-off character a lbian to acmodate Raven-Symone, who is gay real life. Symone said she is proud to be gay, but “The reason I said no wasn’t bee I wasn’t proud of who I was, or I didn’t want to reprent the LGBTQ+ muny any way, ” Symoné said.. ”Raven-Symoné announced she was gay 2013, and later explaed that she hadn’t ever thought she’d be able to acknowledge her sexualy.

Te Crime We Bged 2022For gay New Yorkers 1991, there were still plenty of reasons to not put much fah law enforcement. Jt 22 years after clash wh police outsi the Stonewall Inn Greenwich Village opened a promisg new ont the ongog fight for LGBTQ+ rights, AIDS was cimatg the queer muny and hate crim were on the rise, no small part due to the tragilly wispread misperceptn of the vis as a gay disease and lack of unrstandg about how was transmted. And another nightmarish turn of events, someone was g NYC's vibrant gay nightlife scene as a huntg ground.

RAVEN-SYMONé KISSED, BUT LEGALLY, NO ONE WAS ALLOWED TO TELLINCLUDG HER NOW-WIFE. BY KASE WICKMANMAY 31, 2023LEXIE MORELAND/GETTY IMAGSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVENON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS, TURNS OUT, ARE AMONG THE MANY THGS THAT ARE SO RAVEN.FORMER CHILD STAR RAVEN-SYMONé, WHO CURRENTLY STARS  RAVEN’S HOME, REVEALED AN TERVIEW WH HOWIE MANL THAT BEFORE MARRYG HER WIFE MIRANDA PEARMAN-MADAY JUNE 2020, SHE’D PRENTED ALL HER HOOKUPS WH NDAS “BEFORE THE NGHTY TIM E.” “IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND BEE ’S VERY IMPERSONAL, BUT SOMEONE OUR POSN NEEDS TO DO THAT,” SHE EXPLAED. “HASHTAGS, REAL LIFE, THEY CHANGE THE DYNAMIC OF HAVG AN TIMATE RELATNSHIP WH SOMEBODY." AND, Y, EVEN PEARMAN-MADAY HAD TO SIGN ON THE DOTTED LE. WHY? BEE HER MOM SAID SO, DUH. “MY MOM HAD BEEN BUGGG ME,” RAVEN-SYMONé SAID. "SHE WAS LIKE, ‘YOU GOT TO GET SIGNED. I'M LIKE, ‘SHE'S OM THE DTRY.’ AND MY MOM WAS BUGGG ME."EVEN THOUGH THEY BOTH FELT THAT THERE WAS “SOMETHG DIFFERENT” ABOUT THE RELATNSHIP, PEARMAN-MADAY AGREED. “WE BOTH WERE LIKE, ‘THIS TAK AWAY THE GENUENS OF ALL, BUT WE ALSO UNRSTOOD THAT WE LIVE HOLLYWOOD,'" RAVEN-SYMONé SAID. "SHE KNOWS WHO SHE IS. SO SHE DID .”RAVEN-SYMONé ANNOUNCED SHE WAS GAY 2013, AND LATER EXPLAED THAT SHE HADN’T EVER THOUGHT SHE’D BE ABLE TO ACKNOWLEDGE HER SEXUALY.“I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD E OUT BEE MY PERSONAL LIFE DIDN’T MATTER,” SHE SAID AT THE TIME. “IT WAS ONLY WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SOLD AS THE RAVEN-SYMONé BRAND.”THE STAR, WHO GOT HER FIRST PART AS A KID ON THE COSBY SHOW, SAID THAT AS HER FAY'S PRIMARY BREADWNER OM A YOUNG AGE, SHE DIDN'T WANT TO STEP OUT OF LE. NOW, HOWEVER, SHE TOLD MANL, SHE HAS A BETTER SENSE OF HERSELF AND HER PUBLIC IMAGE, CLUDG WHAT SHE'D LIKE TO SHARE WH THE WORLD. “I'M VERY, VERY OUT,” SHE TOLD MANL, SAYG THAT HER CISN TO REVEAL HER SEXUALY "WASN'T A DISCSN WH DISNEY.” “I THK THAT THE EARLIER YEARS OF HOLLYWOOD, Y,” SHE SAID, ACKNOWLEDGG THE REALY OF THE STUDS' POSSIBLE DISAPPROVAL, BEFORE NODDG AT PROGRS: “DISNEY HAS DONE SOME AMAZG WORK WH UNRSTANDG THAT THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TYP OF PEOPLE THIS WORLD, AND EVERYBODY NEEDS A CHANCE TO BE SHOWSED.”“IT'S BE YOU AND WE WILL ACCEPT YOU. AS LONG AS YOU SHOW UP TO WORK AND AS LONG AS YOU ARE POSIVE AND YOU'RE NOT BRGG ANYBODY ELSE DOWN FOR YOUR BENEF, 'S LIKE, WHAT I DO AT HOME IS WHAT I DO AT HOME, AND WHAT I DO AT WORK IS WHAT I DO AT WORK.”AS FOR HER FAY, HOWEVER, SHE SAID, “NOT ALL PARENTS ARE ACCEPTG OF EVERYTHG,” AND THAT “'S A JOURNEY.” “I GREW UP A BLACK FAY THAT LIKE, YOU GOT YOUR BUTT BEAT IF YOU DID ANYTHG DISRPECTFUL, THAT EMBARRASSED YOUR PARENTS,” SHE SAID. AS FOR THOSE NDAS, THOUGH, SHE'S FELY DISCLOSG. IN TAIL. “AND 'S GOTTEN WORSE NOW," SHE SAID. "THEY HAVE NSENT FORMS TO WHERE THEY'RE LIKE, ‘ARE YOU OKAY WH ANAL, ARE YOU OKAY WH THIS, N I DO THIS, YOU N DO THIS TO ME—THAT’S A PART OF NOW.” “I STILL GOT ALL OF 'EM,” SHE SAID, LGHG, “SO NOBODY N SAY ANYTHG.” MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALWHY THE GEIA INDICTMENT AGAST TMP AND HIS ALLI IS THE MOST SWEEPG YETIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMER25 PERFECT TV EPISOS FROM THE LAST 25 YEARSA NEW SLIM AARONS BOOK CAPTUR A LOST WORLDFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)MOST POPULARSARA RAMIREZ ISSU STHG RPONSE TO ANTI–CHE DIAZ PROFILEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MK, THIEL, ZUCKERBERG, AND ANDRESEN—FOUR BILLNAIRE TECHNO-OLIGARCHS—ARE CREATG AN ALTERNATE, AUTOCRATIC REALYBY JONATHAN TAPLOUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLKASE WICKMAN

Last Call: When a Killer Stalked Queer New York, a four-part HBO seri premierg July 9, lv to the grisly murrs and a not-so-distant past when blatant homophobia was still the norm and queer bars, as one activist puts the show, "were one of the few plac the muny where we uld e and feel safe. "And even then, adds Bea Hanson, who served as a liaison between the NYC Gay & Lbian Anti-Vlence Project and police, "There was always this sort of 'you've got to watch your back at the same time too' sort of feelg. Tony Brooks, a 26-year-old ndidate for cy uncil at the time, told police he and Anrson had gone to Manhattan together the night of May 3 to attend a fundraiser at the Central Park Wt home of Robert Browne, a proment gay rights activist.

One wasn't gay. One was not a homosexual. "In hdsight, " he says, "maybe  would've been a good ia to follow up wh the that time, we didn't know was a gay bar.

I don't know anythg about where all the gay bars New York are.