A night out! Actress Lea DeLaria spoke to Us Weekly about OUT Magazine’s #OUT100 gala and the importance of acknowledging that everyone in the LGBTQ community has a different path and experience.
“I’m here to support my people,” the Orange Is the New Black star told Us about the event, which took place on Thursday, November 9, in New York City to honor gay icons. Still, she doesn’t see herself as one. “I take that sort of thing with a grain of salt. I like what I see when I look in the mirror every morning and brush my teeth and I know I’ve made a difference. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.” DeLaria, 59, quipped: “And get laid. Of course, getting laid. Very important.”
The comedian has been open about her sexuality throughout her career and believes other public figures should be, too — if they can be. “Yes, if you are able to do it. But I think we spend a lot of time beating people up who aren’t capable.”
“It always has been very easy for me. It took like, for example, Rosie [O’Donnell] a little longer. It took Ellen [DeGeneres] a little longer. It took Sandra Bernhard a little longer,” the jazz singer told Us. “I know what it’s like to be discriminated against. I spent the night in jail for being gay. When I came out as being gay, it was illegal in all of the states of the union.”
When it comes to her romantic life, the actress is staying away from commitment, for now, after revealing that she and her fiancee, fashion editor Chelsea Fairless, had split in January: “I’m dating a lot of girls right now. I’m very single and not interested in being tied down at the moment.”
Her career seems to be just as active following the success of the Netflix series. “I’m on a tour right now with my record. I got cast in Shameless. I start shooting next year,” she shared with Us. “Very quietly, I will say that I’m working on a new play that appears to be going up in New York off-Broadway next fall!”
For more information about DeLaria’s tour dates, visit leadelaria.com.
