In a
Rolling Stone cover
story, singer-actor Janelle Monáe describes herself as “a
queer black woman.”
Monáe, 32, has appears in Rio 2,
Moonlight, Hidden Figures and the upcoming film The
Women of Marwen.
Monáe's third studio album Dirty
Computer arrives Tuesday. The album is accompanied by a
45-minute film, also titled Dirty Computer.
Rolling Stone described the
lyrics on Dirty Computer as “flesh-and-blood confessions of
both physical and emotional insecurity, punctuated with sexual
liberation.”
“I want young girls, young boys,
nonbinary, gay, straight, queer people who are having a hard time
dealing with their sexuality, dealing with feeling ostracized or
bullied for just being their unique selves, to know that I see you.
This album is for you. Be proud,” she said.
Monáe also confirmed rumors about her
own sexuality in the interview.
"Being a queer black woman in
America, someone who has been in relationships with both men and
women – I consider myself to be a free-ass motherfucker,” Monáe
said.
She added that she initially identified
as bisexual, “but then later I read about pansexuality and was
like, ‘Oh, these are things that I identify with too.' I'm open to
learning more about who I am."
GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate
Ellis thanked Monáe in a tweet: “Visibility matters and culture
shift is possible when we boldly speak the truth and beauty of our
lives as LGBTQ people.”