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Dana Owens has some splainin’ to do! Well, not really. It’s her life but these pics that AfterEllen found of Queen Latifah and her live-in “trainer” Jeanette Jenkins are very specious indeed for a lady like Latifah who has denied any prior Sapphic leanings by calling the lesbian rumors “insulting”
Dana Owens has some splainin’ to do! Well, not really.
It’s her life, but these pics that AfterEllen found of Queen Latifah and her live-in “trainer” Jeanette Jenkins are very specious indeed for a lady like Latifah who has denied any prior Sapphic leanings by calling the rumors “insulting” and telling Glamour the following:
“The gay thing hasn’t messed up my appeal to the gentlemen, because I have never had any problems meeting men.”
That denial is not so bad on its own but then Latifah followed it up by playing to the lascivious straight boy crowd with this hackneyed gem adding, “Maybe they get turned on by that.” You know, because it is a foregone conclusion that lesbians exist only to turn men...
Everyone has a right to stay publicly closeted while running around West Hollywood on a hog cozying up to her live-in trainer for years. But statements like the following about marriage have made Latifah's particular situation a sticking point for folks living openly and fighting for equality. At least Jodie Foster, who has never really addressed the gay rumors other than thanking her “beautiful Cydney” a few years back, has never gone this far in the other direction to squelch the rumors.
Here’s Latifah on gay marriage in Glamour:
“I don’t think that it should be called marriage. But the idea of it is the same, and you should have the same quality of rights that a married person has. People think of marriage as something that is between a man and a woman, because it was created by God. Well, let God handle the judgment, too. You stay out of it,”
And here’s Latifah being grilled by the Dallas Voice after she made the marriage statements:
Dallas Voice: Did you know that when states prohibit gays to marry, it can threaten same-sex coupes being protected by domestic violence laws?
Queen Latifah: I didn’t know that.
Granted, this kerfluffle occurrred a few years back, and while Latifah has recently taken a decidely less overt 'I'm not gay" stance, she's still in the glass closet.
Regarding the photos, it looks like there was a whole lot of loving lesbian grab-ass occurring on that yacht in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France yesterday but let’s give Latifah the benefit of the doubt here. Since Jeanette is Latifah’s trainer perhaps she’s merely testing the Queen’s glutes for muscle mass.
And really, congrats to Latifah for finding what appears to be long lasting true love. These are just sour grapes because a public acknowledgment of that love could do so much to inspire Latifah’s young fans.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
