Raven Symone Is Gay: Now You Can Say “That’s So Gayven!” With Abandon

Featured image via fanpop.com

Remember that time when Raven Symone wouldn’t come out and we had a ton of feelings about it? Today is our day! In a subtle but clear way, Raven Symone seems to have finally confirmed via Twitter that she is gay.

Immediately following that message, she retweeted a few followers who said things such as: “She’s been out!” and “Disney might not like you anymore.” Finally, Raven has put all the rumors to rest and we can claim her for our team.

This announcement has been years in the making, since her angry-but-LGBTQ-supportive statement in 2008. Raven has always presented herself as an ally: speaking out in support of the community, posing in the NO H8 campaign, and recently participating in a Pride event in NYC. However, she would not confirm or deny her own sexuality, even as more rumors surfaced in 2012 about her relationship with AzMarie from America’s Next Top Model. Media buzzed about Raven and AzMarie’s co-habitation in Raven’s New York condo. And knowing we were this close to hearing the truth, Autostraddle included her in this kick-ass gallery of Out Women in 2012.

Via Theybf.com

Via Theybf.com

I’m sure a ton of us grew up watching Raven as Olivia on The Cosby Show. I was a toddler just a few years after her and wore similar one-piece jumpsuits, and colorful hair ties in my braids. I was always practicing for the most epic lip-sync moment ever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVcgsz-zSh0

I watched That’s So Raven religiously on the Disney Channel, so excited that a girl who looked like me was the lead of show that was actually funny and smart. She was a child star who didn’t fall off the tracks and seemed both humble and classy. Since the rumors started, I’ve been crossing my fingers on this one.

This news is so exciting, even more so considering her journey to get here and her involvement in the queer community. For girls like me who’ve watched her our whole lives, it’s a validation.

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Jamie

Jamie has written 7 articles for us.

34 Comments

  2. Yeeeees! You are right about this being a validation.
    Also, she’s sexy as hell- just thought I’d put that out there.

  4. “I’m a wooommaaaaan!” Sing it Olivia.

    I have so many feelings about The Cosby Show. Raven Symone and I are very close in age, and she was one of the few girls on TV that looked like me.

    Love her.

  7. As happy as I am about this, AS shouldn’t have put her on a list of out women when she wasn’t actually out.

    • I feel like there’s a distinction between being out as a person and being public as a celebrity. If her family and friends knew about her identity, is that being out? Especially since she retweeted the posts about “she’s been out!”. Not that I necessarily disagree with you, but I wonder about why all public figures must include the public in every part of their lives in order to not be secretive/closeted.

  8. I’m so excited that now when I see someone being superfluously dykey I can call out “That’s SO Raven!”

  17. When I saw her tweet today I totally blanked and couldn’t remember if she was already out or not

  19. YAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

    (But I don’t think we should blatantly assign has as Gay? I’m going to put her under Queer in my list of celebrities)

    • Judging by the “I can finally get married” tweet, I pretty much presumed she was gay myself (or at least had no intentions of marrying a guy- ever).

      • She doesn’t have to identify as gay to only want to marry women. Or maybe she’s acknowledging the fact that now she can marry whomever she wants.

  20. YAY!!!!!!!!!!! One for the disney star! And she can totally rock the short hair. =) Proud of ANYONE who comes out, hats off to you :)

    • Truth. We totally don’t know her preferred label, if she event wants a label. She is saying that she can now get married to a woman and/or her (potential) current partner. She could totes be “gay,” “lesbian,” “queer” or something else :) either way, it is rad that she is clearly speaking out on this element of her life!

  21. what??? whaaaaaaat??? am i the only person that was taken by surprise? it seems like i’m the only one taken by surprise.

  25. Raven has always been one of the few Disney stars who I would actually consider a role model and hasn’t let the fame get to her. Fuck yea go raven!

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