Raven Symone Responds to Lesbian Rumors

Raven Symone has responded to the rumor that she's in a lesbian relationship with America's Next Top model contestant AzMarie Livingston.

The star of The Cosby Show and the Disney series That's So Raven has managed to do an excellent job staying out of the spotlight unlike fellow Disney starlets Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, but the National Enquirer recently turned her personal life into a major tabloid story by claiming that she's in a relationship with a woman.

Raven was not happy about the story, but it doesn't seem like bein

g called a lesbian is what bothered herÂ—she just values her privacy.

"I'm not one, in my 25 year career to disclose who I'm dating. and I shall not start now."

"My sexual orientation is mine, and the person I'm datings to know. I'm not one for a public display of my life."

It was a good way to respondÂ—she's still trying to maintain her privacy, but isn't acting like being called a lesbian is an insult. She went on to write:

"However that is my right as a HUMAN BEing whether straight or gay. To tell or not to tell. As long as I'm not harming anyone."

Of course some might argue that straight people have no problem sharing their sexual orientation with the world since they know they won't experience an angry backlash from prejudiced people. However, if Raven denied the rumors and said that she's in a relationship with a man, this would still open her personal life up to the public, which is exactly what she's trying to avoid. She went on to say that her career is the only thing that she wants to display to the public (she's currently starring in the Broadway play Sister Act).

Of course Raven Symone is still going to have to worry about being spied on by paparazzi hoping to photograph her with AzMarie Livingston, so if she is dating anyone, you've got to feel bad for the couple having to worry about sneaking around.

And if Raven is a lesbian, it's not hard to see why she wouldn't want to share that information with the public. She obviously does not like for her personal life to get attention, and being gay and black in Hollywood would thrust her into the spotlight simply because there are so few openly gay black celebs in the entertainment industry.

So what do you think of Raven's response? Will the tabloids leave her alone now, or is she going to have to deal with rumors about her sexual orientation forever, much like actress Queen Latifah?