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Not for Reproduction Copyright 2008 QNotes Not for ReproductionP O P C U L T U R EDawn of the divac o p rMichelleiWilliamsgdelights gay fansh tby discovering her dance-pop destinyby C. CaneMichelle Williams has been reaching out tothe gay community likeBarack Obama hasbeen reaching out tothe Right. The formerDestiny’s Child divahas endless YouTubevideos shouting out thegays, and there’s even a2 0 0 8Michelle look-a-likecontest, which willsurely bring in the dragqueens. She also performedduring NYCPride weekend at gayclub Splash with adance troupe of shirtless,hunky men.Yes, Miss Williamswants our support, andshe’s willing to lose herbreath for it! Herc o p rupcomingialbum,g h t“Unexpected,” is purepop, demanding us todance till dawn. In fact,“We Break the Dawn,”the album’s first single,gave the successfulgospel artist her first#1 hit on the Billboarddance charts.In this one-ononeinterview,Williams breaksdown her love affairc o p rwithigays, playing bi,g h tand how to battle aBeyoncé drag queen.2 0 0 8What can your gay fans expect from“Unexpected”?Expect just fierceness all the way through!Expect to dance; just expect Michelle Williamscoming out in her own way. I’m having a ball.Expect a side of Michelle that maybe somealways knew existed, and they just couldn’twait to see it. Expect a classic album.You, Beyoncé and Kelly have done gaypress for your solo records, butto‘Expect a side ofmedespite your gay following, there wasn’treally any gay press while you wereDestiny’s Child. Why didn’t you reachout to the gay community as a group?I have no idea. I don’t have an answer for that,honestly. I’m not giving you a politically correctthat maybesee it.’some always knew existed,and they just couldn’t waitanswer. Although we knew we had gay fans. Wesaw that at the shows — they were living!Some of the music, like “Lose My Breath,” weknew the queens were going to be tipping!I don’t know…did gay press come to us ordid they not feel they had to because we hadaddressed them already with the costumesand songs? We appreciate them. There aretimes I’ve gone on YouTube and I’ve seen dragsee next page >c o p r i g h t18 SEPTEMBER 20 . 2008 • QNotesNot for Reproduction Copyright 2008 QNotes Not for Reproduction
Not for Reproduction Copyright 2008 QNotes Not for ReproductionP O P C U L T U R Equeens as Destiny’s Child or Beyoncé. We definitelyfeel that love. I think that’s why individuallywe can give that love back because wedidn’t get a chance to do that as a group.Who’s the first gay person you met inyour life?When I was younger — this is so typical andcliché, but — it was the choir director at mygrandmother’s church. I probably shouldn’thave said that because I don’t know if he wasreally open with it. [Laughs]Well, you had a sense!Yeah! I had a sense as a child.You know, somethingwas different! [Laughs] Some of myclosest friends are gay. [They’re] the ones thatkeep us together, keep us in line, tell you thetruth. I have a straight male best friend thattells me the truth, but there is somethingabout a gay queen. He’s like: “I ain’t got nothingto lose, so I’m going to tell you the truth,not.” We are all judged for being different, so crush?form shoes! ◗that’s all I can say from my religious standpointis to judge not. People can argue the Rihanna!” Honey, just put Rihanna down![Pauses] Lord, now they’ll be like,“She likesc oBible up and down,pall day long. Peoplerhave [Laughs]i g h ttheir own interpretation.Do you get hit on a lot by women?But how about God is love first and foremost,and it’s important to have that relation-their ownI haven’t really had it direct and hard, but inway.ship with God. Christ being the one, my specificone, and what my conviction is may notbe your conviction, but that’s somethingthat one has to personally work out withGod. If you feel like your walk is solid, keepit moving!What are your thoughts on gaymarriage?If that’s who you love and that’s who youwant to be with, it’s not going to affect me atthe end of the day. I don’t think about it; Idon’t worry about it.2 0 0 8You played Shug Avery in the musicalversion of “The Color Purple” inbaby! I’ve been there, done that, so what is theworst reply you can tell me that I haven’t Chicago. Shug was a little lesbian, aheard?” I think that’s the toughness that comes little bisexual.with it.She was a little of everything!Patti LaBelle once said, “The gays will Were you at all nervous about playingmake or break your ass!” How importantis it to have a gay fan base?If that’s all someone focused on in “The Colora bisexual character?It’s definitely important because they are going Purple,” you missed the whole story about loveto be loyal. They know what it’s like to stick and overcoming things. I talked to my mothertogether. I’m happy to gain that fan base, so and she said,“Baby, it’s just acting, don’t worryI’m looking forward to having fun this year about people, especially in the gospel community.It’s okay; you’re going to be fine.”with this record.Given your religious background asShug needed some love and she thoughtDid it make youuncomfortable?No, I had fun — I’d flirtback!If a Michelle dragqueen had to battle aBeyoncé drag queen,what advice would yougive the Michelle dragqueen?c o p r i g h tWell, since me and Beyoncéa Christian, how do you reconcile she was showing Celie love. Before you know have both fallen, you shouldyour religious beliefs with the gaycommunity?Well, the thing that shuts me up is “judgeit, it was something in Celie that empoweredShug as well.If you were bi, who’d be your girlfall fabulous, honey! Roll,do the splits — and havesome goldfish in your plat-— “Unexpected” (Music WorldEntertainment/Columbia Records) is out Oct. 7.info:www.michellewilliamsonline.comwww.myspace.com/michellewilliamsc o p r i g h t2 0 0 8c o p r i g h tSEPTEMBER 20 . 2008 • QNotes 19Not for Reproduction Copyright 2008 QNotes Not for Reproduction
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