Raven Symone - Don't Label Me Gay

 

 Actress Raven Symone knows exactly who she is, and that person can't be defined with the usual labels.

That's what the former "Cosby Show" star told Oprah Winfrey on OWN on Sunday night, as she explained why she doesn't like to be labeled as gay or African-American.

The actress confirmed that she's in "an amazing, happy relationship" with her partner, who is a woman, but added that she doesn't "need a categorizing statement for it. "I don't want to be labeled gay," Raven-Symone said. "I want to be labeled a human who loves humans."

Raven-Symone says she's a lesbian, grateful for legalized gay marriageThe former Disney star's sexuality has been in headlines since she tweeted in August 2013 that she was happy for the legalization of gay marriage, as it meant that she could "finally get married!"

But that wasn't exactly a statement on her love life, Raven-Symone told Winfrey. "That was my way of saying I'm proud of the country. ... My mother and people in my family have taught me to keep my personal life to myself as much as possible. I try my best to hold the fence where I can. But I am proud to be who I am and what I am."

Raven-Symone recalled realizing her sexuality "when I was like 12; I was looking at everything," she said with a laugh. But she added that she "doesn't need language" to explain whom she likes -- or, for that matter, her race.

Raven-Symone: My sexuality is my business "I'm tired of being labeled," Raven-Symone told Winfrey. "I'm an American; I'm not an African-American. I'm an American."