Raven Symone's Subtle Tweet

For the purpose of this blog I want to focus on the condemnation of homosexuality within the black community.I do not intend in deliberately forcing my blog in one direction or another , but rather hope it will naturally take upon a path itself. 
 I along many others my age grew up watching the Disney Channel hit show, "That's So Raven". Being one of the only shows that had a black character, let alone FEMALE, be the lead role was something that I naturally gravitated towards. I became a Raven Symone fanatic-- possessing everything from her TV shows to her movies and albums (as you know disney would ultimately try and make you an entertainer in every field). Raven was essentially a part of my childhood. Slowly after the season finale of her show, she began to disintegrate from the spotlight. The only news ever heard about her was her drastic weight loss. Only till several days ago, did I find that Raven had recently come out via twitter. Initially without checking upon twitter itself, I thought the notion of former Disney star being gay was a fabricated story. It was not that I opposed her decision, but I had a hard time separating "Raven Baxter" , within the TV show, who's episodes were primarily based on her winning the affection of some man, often going to extreme depths to do so, without realizing that she did possess a true character off screen. I was too pressed on believing that I had evidence from a " false reality"(her TV show) to assume her heterosexuality, unless I was told otherwise. Then I began to wonder why I hadn't heard about her coming out sooner. It would have been assumed that a child-star , as revered & clean of screw ups most child stars succumb too---would have gotten a more publicized story. However her tweet itself reads, "I can finally get married!Yay government! So proud of you." Although the nature in which she confessed her orientation was subtle and a method in which she possessed full control, I was curious to see if the silent reaction was due to respectability of her choice or in attempt to avoid publicly confronting shame of a non-heterosexual celebrity from the black community. I for one, undoubtedly respected her decision to be so honest despite the fact that she as a celebrity , and the fact she walks on the thin line of pleasing public consent. Her life has been crafted in a way so that spectators( the rest of the world) feel entitled to have access to her personal matters.  It is good seeing that there is color represented in the majorly white presentation of LGBT Hollywood. So is the issue that she may not be as relevant to black entertainment right now? Is the quietness around her choice about communal status and hoping that she would have kept her mouth shut? Or is it that her fans that have been with her for over two decades are exceedingly distraught at the news? Could it have received more press coverage if she was a white male/woman. We would all like to believe that the silence around her statement was in respect to her , but ultimately at the end of the day, homophobia still remains clearly present within the black community.  
 Being a black female entertainer is already enough of a challenge to find roles in of itself, compared with the white counterparts that are in their same field. Adding another form of adversity such as homosexuality would only add to a list of problems, many see. Although Raven's open testament could be described as fearless, it draws many parallels to other actresses who have "come out" after already attributing a solid fan base and prestige in Hollywood. It took Jodie Foster just until this year to come out at an acceptance speech , 20 years after beginning her relationship with her partner in '93. Similarly, Raven who is now 27 years old after beginning her career at age 4 , has the autonomy to do so, without necessarily risking her career. So although her act may seem as courageous , it may not necessarily be applicable to every black lesbian actress. I am still curious as to why Raven Symone hasn't explicitly confirmed or refuted her sexual preference, which ultimately leads towards speculation. Why was the twitter the medium she felt that she could express herself best? Maybe because then she could say it without having immediate backlash that would have been attributed by doing an interview or press conference instead. There is room for much ambiguity due to her actions. However, as long as racial issues still continue to be at the forefront of the black community, sexual identity will always take the backseat .