Singer/actress Janelle Monae has come out as queer.
"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," she told Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos for the magazine's May cover story.
There had been speculation about Monae's sexuality for some time, and it rose to a fever pitch thanks to the release of music videos for her songs "Make Me Feel" and "Pynk," both of which have explicitly queer overtones.
Monae, 32, said that, at first, she identified as bisexual but that she's also learning about being pansexual: "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."
"Make Me Feel" is a version of Sylvester's 1978 gay anthem, and the music video features actress Tessa Thompson, who is rumored to be dating Monae.
Monae has been received critical plaudits for her work in music and film, the latter involving roles in movies such as Moonlight and Hidden Figures.
