Latifah recently made some bigoted comments about gay marriage.

And she's coming to Dallas to raise money for a domestic abuse foundation.

Doesn't she realize that prohibiting gay marriage can threaten laws that protect same-gender domestic violence?

It's been five days, and Queen Latifah still hasn't called the Dallas Voice offices. But her publicists have not that they're talking about scheduling a follow-up interview.

Her handlers are shitting bricks because of two questions Dallas Voice posed to Latifah regarding an interview in the September 2007 issue of Glamour magazine, which features her royal highness on the cover.

Not only is Latifah an undeniable super talent, Latifah is a Cover Girl spokesperson who has revolutionized cultural perceptions. She's a big-boned ebony seductress who vacillates between butch and glam while every entertainment industry kisses her luscious ass: music, movies, fashion.

And she's a lesbian icon who's as out as Jodie Foster.

Interviewers who ask Queen Latifah if she's gay always get the same answer: that her personal life is personal. Latifah also says questions about her sexuality are "insulting."

If rumors are billowing around Queen Latifah, she's helped fan the flames.

In "Chicago," Latifah's turn as a lesbian warden was so convincing that she got an Oscar nod. And at the "Hairspray" premiere, Latifah's red-carpet date was Jeanette Jenkins, her longtime personal trainer.

Latifah's rattled closet is addressed in the Glamour interview: In it, she said the rumors are trying to "bring her down." But that's not all.

"The gay thing hasn't messed up my appeal to the gentlemen, because I have never had any problems meeting men. Maybe they get turned on by the idea of that!" Latifah said.

If that wasn't enough for lesbians to start deleting "U.N.I.T.Y." from their iPods, Latifah also offered her opinions on gay marriage.

"I don't think that it should be called marriage. But the idea of it is the same, and you should have the same quality of rights that a married person has. People think of marriage as something that is between a man and a woman, because it was created by God. Well, let God handle the judgment, too. You stay out of it," Latifah said.

But God isn't the one passing constitutional amendments banning gay marriage.

ROYAL VISIT For the first stop on the “Travelin’ Light” tour, the queen will be accompanied by a 12-piece band as she tackles standards and classics. Don’t expect her to rock a feather boa. The queen says she’ll probably opt for pantsuits. Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm St. Sept 29 at 7:30 p.m. $56.50-$126.50. 214-373-8000.

On Sept. 29, Queen Latifah plays the Majestic Theatre the first tour stop for "Travelin' Light," her excellent new honey-drenched album of standards. But the gig is also fundraiser for The Family Place, a Dallas foundation, which helps victims of domestic abuse.

The Family Place contacted Dallas Voice about Latifah's concert, hoping it would draw attention to their outreach programs for same-gender domestic violence. They wanted to let LGBT victims of abuse know they can turn to a safe place.

According to a Family Place director, batterer's intervention groups are segmented for gays and lesbians. And shelter for lesbians is provided at the Family Place's "safe campus," while shelter for men and individuals in gender transition is provided in another location.

But do you know what happens when states approve constitutional amendments that ban gay marriage?

In 2005, an Ohio judge tried to rule that an anti-gay marriage amendment invalidated the state's 25-year-old domestic violence law saying that the law can't be applied to unmarried people.

READ IT AND WEEP “Luckily , this gay thing hasn’t messed up my appeal to the gentlemen, because I have never had any problem meeting men. Maybe they get turned on by the idea of that!” “I don’t know that it should be called marriage. ... People think of marriage bas something that is between a man and a woman, because it was created by God.” -- Glamour magazine, Sept. 2007.

Last Friday, Dallas Voice and four other newspapers participated in a round-robin phone interview with Queen Latifah. Dallas Voice was the only gay publication. Everyone took turns asking a question, and immediate follow-ups were supposedly allowed.

We rotated in alphabetical order. Dallas Voice was given the first question, which came with a longwinded preface that connected The Family Place and Latifah's comments about same-sex marriage that appeared in Glamour.

Dallas Voice: Did you know that when states prohibit gays to marry, it can threaten same-sex coupes being protected by domestic violence laws?
Queen Latifah: I didn't know that.

How do you feel about the statements you made in Glamour magazine?

Publicist: "Daniel, do you mind if we just, uh, umm, skip to the next person and we'll come back to this?"

I believe that Queen Latifah is a strong entertainer who possesses a supreme intellect. I'd love for her to just crank this one out.
QL: If you want, we can sit down and talk about this when I get there.

You can't do it now?
QL: I just think it needs its own attention.

Publicist: I would just like everyone else to have time for their questions. So I'm sorry, we're going to need to move to [the next journalist].


So, you're passing on me, Queen Latifah?
QL: I'm not passing on the whole topic, but I will say this: I do support anyone who wants to be married, and I support gays and lesbians having the same rights as anyone else. So no, I don't agree that gays and lesbians should not be protected against domestic violence, and to even try to goad me into, um, condoning something like that I think is kind of a shallow move on your behalf.

Actually, even as a Cover Girl, you have the power to change cultural perceptions
QL: I know I can change perception. I'm okay with who I am. And I'm okay with how I feel. I'm not confused about anything. I know that a lot of people have a problem with the word "marriage." Now, I might not have been familiar with what that meant and how that affects the different laws, so if that was ignorance on my behalf, I apologize.

That's excellent.
QL: But that's about as far as I can go with it. That's pretty much how I feel. I think everybody knows how I feel. So I'm not judgmental. So I'm not taking anybody's position. I'm not down with any group on either side. I have gay people in my family. I have straight people in my family. I have Christians and Muslims in my family. I think everybody has rights to own their feelings and their own opinions.


QUESTION 2:
You were recently hanging out in Dallas while shooting "Mad Money" in Shreveport, La. I heard that you had collaborated with Dallas diva Erykah Badu on this album. Will your Dallas gig reunite you with Erykah? Also I can't figure out which "Travelin' Light" song she appears on.
QL: That was a misprint. She's was supposed to do "How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)." [The track] was initially supposed to be me and her and Missy Elliot. But we couldn't get our schedules right for when I needed this album to be done.
But I did hang out with Erykah while I was [in Dallas]. That's my girl.


QUESTION 3:
I want every gay and lesbian fan to go buy tickets to your show here in Dallas. Did you get any feedback from your comments in Glamour are you aware that

Publicist: Daniel, sorry we need to move along.


She can't answer it?

Publicist: No. I'm sorry. I just want to make sure every one has time to ask questions.


Wait. Queen Latifah, can you answer a question like that?
QL: Daniel, I never heard anything about it. You're the first person to bring it to my attention. And I appreciate it but I haven't heard anything about it to be honest with you.

But you know the comments I'm talking about, right?
QL: I know what you just told me. That's all I know. I don't have a problem answering your question, I just don't know anything about it. You're the one who's bringing it to my attention. So now it has my attention.

Now that it has been brought to your attention. How can [ticket buyers] overcome your
QL: Well, now that's two questions.

Ohh
QL: I'm going to need you to schedule your own individual interview if you want to get into a 20-minute discussion about this whole thing.

Publicist: Daniel, we're going to need to find a different time because I need everyone to have adequate time to ask their own questions. I'm sorry, we're going to need to move to [the next journalist] now.



A third round of questions were permitted for the other journalists some were "two-pronged" questions, and the publicists also granted follow-ups. But time was out, and the other journalist started saying goodbye and thanking Latifah.

DV: Hey Queen, you really going to give me that interview?
QL: I might give you that interview, if you act right.

I will.
QL: You come through the right channels without trying to blindside me.

Publicist: Okay, guys. We've gotta run.


Is it because [gay topics] are your Achilles heel?
QL: I really don't have a problem talking about it. So if you can manage to schedule something, I have no problem.

I'm open. I'm ready whenever you are.

Epilogue
After the interview, Latifah's publicist called to say he was confused about my questions. His first item that needed clarification was my question about Erykah Badu's publicized and anticipated collaboration on the "Travelin' Light" album.
Then he told me my tone was "too aggressive."
I asked what his firm was doing to coordinate the individual interview that both he and Latifah had suggested. He said that all those requests would have to go through Latifah's personal publicist and that his firm was only working on the tour.
Our discussion ended abruptly.




HOW SAME-GENDER DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS UNIQUE:
Utilizing existing services (such as a shelter, attending support groups or calling a crisis line) either means lying or hiding the gender of the batterer to be perceived (and thus accepted) as a heterosexual.
Or it can mean coming out a major life decision.
If LGBTs come out to service providers who are not discreet, it could lead to victims losing their home, job, custody of children, etc. This may also precipitate local and/or statewide laws to affect some of these changes, depending on the area.

- Telling heterosexuals about battering in LGBT relationships can reinforce the myth that queer relationships are "abnormal." This can further cause victims to feel isolated and unsupported.
- The LGBT community is often not supportive of victims of battering because many want to maintain the myth that there are no problems in LGBT relationships (such as child abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence, etc.).
- Receiving support services to help one escape a battering relationship is more difficult when facing other oppressions: Battered lesbians and female bisexuals automatically encounter sexism and homophobia. Gay and bisexual men encounter homophobia. Lesbian or gay people of color who are battered also face racism.
These forms of social oppressions make it more difficult for these groups to get the support (legal, financial, social, housing, medical, etc.) to escape and live freely from an abusive relationship.
- LGBT survivors of battering may not know others who are LGBT meaning that leaving the abuser could result in total isolation.

Click here to go to Lambda.org

GET HELP
If you answer yes to any of the following, it's time to take action . . .
- Are you afraid to disagree with your partner?
- Do you find yourself apologizing for your partner's behavior?
- Are you afraid to say "no" to your partner?
- Have you ever been hit, kicked or pushed by your partner?
- Have you been forced to have sex?
- Is your partner jealous of time you spend with your friends and family?
- Are you forced to justify what you do, every place you go and everyone you see?
- Has your partner unjustly accused you of flirting with others?

TAKE ACTION
- Take care of yourself and your children
- Realize that you are in a very serious situation
- Make a plan for your safety
- Tell your parents
- Talk about it with your friends
- Call the police
- Call the Family Place 214-941-1991, Click here to go to FamilyPlace.orgFamilyPlace.org