LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Rosario Dawson earlier gave a lengthy interview that covered a variety of topics, including her recent work, activism, and her relationship with former Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker.
In a new interview with Bustle, the actress was questioned about an Instagram post she made in 2018 to celebrate Pride month where she reposted a song from the queer artist Chika in it.
The musician raps about identity and Pride in the video. Dawson repurposed Chika's lyrics, which serve as the song's hook, in the caption.
Many followers inferred from the context that the social media post represented her coming out.
Rosario Dawson has never been in a queer relationship
Queer people frequently have to reexamine their definition of queerness. And it's happening more frequently these days, particularly when determining who or what is permitted to identify as gay.
"People kept saying that I [came out] . . . I didn’t do that. I mean, it’s not inaccurate, but I never did come out come out," Dawson, who has been dating Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) since October 2018, claimed to the women's website at the time, as per New York Post.
Dawson stated that she has never truly been in a queer relationship, yet she did not go into any detail about how she defines her sexuality. She said, "I’ve never had a relationship in that space, so it’s never felt like an authentic calling to me."
The Instagram post included a video of rapper Chika performing 'Proud', a cover of Ed Sheeran's 'Shape of You'.
Dawson included the song's lyrics in the caption, "I will not be ashamed. This is just who I am, and who I was meant to be. No mistakes . . . I’m proud."
"Happy pride month!" The actress also offered her own greeting. "Sending love to my fellow lgbtq+ homies. keep being strong in the face of adversity. loud & proud. here’s a lil throwbyke to last year," she added.
Rosario Dawson made headlines for 'coming out'
Despite Dawson's obvious trouble speaking as a member of the LGBTQ community, a brief portion of a Bustle interview with her resulted in multiple headlines about her "coming out" as one.
As per NBC News, when asked about her coming out in an Instagram post honoring Pride in 2018, the 'Ahsoka' actress cuts off their chat, the reporter wrote, "with a wide-eyed look of confusion".
Dawson's statement, "I never did come out. I mean, I guess I am now," ignited several headlines claiming the actress as queer.
Headlines like 'Rosario Dawson officially comes out as part of the LGBTQ community' (New York Post) and 'Rosario Dawson Confirms She’s Bisexual' (CBS) began circulating.
However, Dawson's representatives explained to the Daily Beast that she was coming out as an ally not as a member of the community.
What does an LGBTQ ally mean?
Being an ally and being a member of the LGBTQ community and coming out in their support are two very different things.
The latter has much less advantage, particularly when intersections of race, class, and talent are taken into account.
Dawson was understandably hesitant to share how she identified with LGBTQ people since she believed it to be not accurate.
Although she described it at the time as "coming out", it was the media that seized her words and ran with the idea she was trying to get away from.
