Since Niecy Nash recently married her wife, Jessica Betts, the actress says she can now participate in June’s Pride Month events and festivities. In a recent sit-down chat with theGrio, the couple discuss Pride plans and the importance of LGBTQ+ representation.
“We’ve come a long way from how the music industry was then but I feel good about the visibility,” said Betts of her career as a singer-songwriter. Betts says she “gets to see herself” in fellow LGBTQ+ artists like Janelle Monae, Kehlani and Lil Nas X.
“You know, I get a chance to dream, I get a chance to dream big! That’s so important — as opposed to back then to when there really was no one to represent.”
As for “new community member” Nash, who recently starred in Betts’ new music video for “We Drip,” the 52-year-old entertainer says she’s looking forward to joining in on the Pride celebrations this year.
“You know I’ve never been to a Pride parade, so maybe somebody will invite me,” she said. “I’m the newest member of the community, so I need my running routes! I don’t know when the parades are, I don’t know anything yet!”
Regardless of which of the many events the couple will make it to, they agree that what matters the most is the visibility they provide to other members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Me and my wife, we say all the time, representation matters, it really does,” Betts said. “Because now I know that little young girls or that [a] little young boy see themselves [in] someone who is like myself, someone who is like my wife, or anyone. It’s important to see yourself.”
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