The Bigfooted Hermaphrodite: Dana Owens OR Queen Latifah...

Like West, Latifah has strong affinities to gay culture. Especially because of her role as Cleo in Set It Off, gay rumors have haunted her publicity, so that "a decade later, she's still getting asked how much she and Cleo have in common," a 2006 article in Essence reports. Her reply in this interview is typical of what she has said over the years: "Latifah refuses to confirm or deny. She says she has plenty of gay friends, and to deny anything about her personal life would be an insult to them" (Amber 182). As Ciasullo reports, Latifah's remarks about lesbianism over the years have ranged from defiance ("I'd rather have you die wanting to know") to a cool distancing from the topic, with the effect of leaving the question ambiguous (598). Discussing the strong, womanist character played by Latifah on Living Single, Krystal Zook argues that this ambiguity was a key to Latifah's power on that show, which played up her resistance to traditional sex and gender roles (68-74).
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According to this week’s edition of the National Enquirer, Queen Latifah plans to marry her partner of five years, personal trainer Jeannette Jenkins.

Queen Latifah has been very tight-lipped about her relationship with Jenkins, and told Ebony magazine in 2007 that she would not comment on the rumor that Jenkins was her girlfriend. She didn’t deny it, she was just annoyed that she was asked.

“No comment on that at all. I’m done commenting on all that … It’s ridiculous, I know me and that’s all I need to know.

“And if the readers don’t know me, then that’s one part they aren’t going to get to know. Those are my people but they don’t sleep with me,” she says in a very even tone that is very consistent with her relaxed mood. “It feels so invasive. It’s the one thing I don’t think people need to know about.”

According to the Enquirer, the couple are “planning an intimate ceremony with close famiy and friends.” They are also reportedly interested in adopting an American baby.
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Though Queen Latifah first gained notoriety spitting rhymes in the male dominated rap world, she hasn't released a hip hop album in nearly 10 years, preferring to busy herself with films like Beauty Shop and Chicago -- for which she received an Oscar nomination -- and recording jazz standards. But the Queen, AKA Dana Owens, is ready to reclaim her rap throne when her new album produced by rap legends like Dr. Dre, LL Cool J, and Missy Elliot hits music stores in December. Latifah still hasn't named the CD, but tells Rolling Stone that she was considering naming it The L Word to make light of the constant rumors claiming she is a lesbian. "L was gonna stand for love though or La," she laughed. "Since people want to play games, I like to jab back sometimes just for fun, but I'm like, 'Nah, that’s too much energy wasted.'" We hear you, Queen, enough of the game playing. We're thinking you should title it something like "No More Beating Around My Bush."
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Queen Latifah’s new memoir “EXACTLY AS I AM” might have people knocking there “closet” doors down, to run to the book store. Queen La tells the author Shaun Robinson this…

“I [used to] ingratiate myself to him and then sleep with him. Afterward, I felt disgusting - really gross and nasty … and I hated myself. That feeling was so horrible, I decided I would never do that again.”