Her role as 1920s bisexual blues legend
Bessie Smith in the HBO movie Bessie has Queen Latifah
speaking out in support of LGBT rights.
HBO premiered the film over the
weekend.
“People's ideas in general are
antiquated when it comes to who you love,” Latifah told Uptown
magazine.
“We haven't moved as quickly as we
probably should. And the reality is that there's always been gay
people in the black community, so it's not foreign to us. And not
just as a black community, but just as society as a whole.”
While the 45-year-old Latifah has
refused to discuss her own sexuality, she's a vocal supporter of
marriage equality.
“Who you choose to marry is really up
to you and it's not something you should be judged on,” she added.
“I don't find being gay or lesbian to be a character flaw. Couples
should be protected under the laws of this country period. It
actually angers me. It's not unusual so let's be adults and let's
move forward.”