As a black woman in the industry, you really do have to hold your head higher, stick your chest out, be kind and polite and generous even when you don't want to be sometimes. I learned that and, also, just to never take no for an answer.

Being a black lesbian myself, I roll my eyes a little bit when I see black lesbian characters on shows where it's purely there for decoration. You can just hear it in the writers room... 'What if we make her a lesbian?'

It's weird because I see black gay characters on television all the time, but do I relate to them? Not always, because they're set pieces.

The cool thing about dope black style becoming in style is that the industry has no choice but to try and reduplicate that.

For me, it's about making art that's not good but phenomenal. James Baldwin didn't want to just stay above the fray. Prince didn't think, 'I wonder what the industry is gonna think about 'Purple Rain.'' It's just, is this honest? Is this real? Does this move me? The rest is icing.

Being born gay, black, and female is not a revolutionary act. Being proud to be a gay black female is.