Janelle Monae may sing love songs for fictional androids and human fans alike, but when it comes to her own love life, many fans have questioned the singer’s sexuality, which she’s typically been mum. Now, Monae is finally addressing the gay rumors and opening up about her gay-friendly lyrics in her songs.
As many fans have already heard, Monae isn’t at all shy about singing about an attraction between two women. In “Q.U.E.E.N.” featuring Erykah Badu, she sings, “Am I a freak because I love watching Mary?” and “Hey sister am I good enough for your heaven?” In “Givin Em What They Love,” she refers to a woman following her to a lobby for some “undercover love.”
Lyrics like that have had many assuming that Monae herself is gay, but in a new interview with Pride Source, Monae claims that she didn’t know that so many people were questioning her sexuality.
“I actually have never heard that,” Monae said. “This is the first time I’m hearing it. But I will say that a lot of my work always comes from an authoritative stance, so it may not be about me; it may just be about a story, or something that I’ve witnessed, or my imagination. You just never know.”
However, Monae claims that she isn’t at all bothered that people consider her a lesbian.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being gay or lesbian or straight or black or green or purple, so I’m OK with that,” Monae said.
In a 2010 interview with Rolling Stone, Monae addressed the lesbian rumors and claims she only dates androids. Although she may not be a part of the lesbian community, Monae says that she definitely considers her LGBT fans when she writes songs for her albums.
“I have songs on ‘The Electric Lady’ – from ‘Sally Ride’ to ‘Electric Lady’ to ‘Q.U.E.E.N.,’ and the list goes on – where I definitely thought of the gay community in terms of a community that is oftentimes discriminated against and marginalized,” she said. “Again, when I speak about the android, it’s the other. I think, again, you can parallel that to the gay community, to the black community, to women – we have so many things in common, and we sometimes don’t know it when we allow small things to get in the way. So this music is meant to inspire and bring wings to those who are weak and grace to those when they are strong.”
We applaud Monae for being comfy in her own skin and for giving value and praise to the LGBT community. Check out some other fans that are just as comfy and supportive of their LGBT fans below. – nicholas robinson
