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Age: 24
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Occupation: Musician
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Pronouns: She/Her
Singer-songwriter Kehlani is a '90s R&B singer reincarnate, using her smooth tones to bring us songs on the complexities of love. In 2018, the Bay Area native took to Twitter to educate her fans about her queer identity and invited her fans to educate her, too. Living multiple marginalized identities at once can be overwhelming, especially for someone on a large platform. Kehlani has made it clear that she's aware of how what she says and does could make a large impact, and she tries to be sensitive to all the different groups she represents.
"I'm a bisexual woman who has been with men, and a lot of queer women are sensitive to that," she told Paper magazine. "I'm a mixed woman who is white presenting at times, and a lot of Black people are very sensitive to that, so I'm sensitive to that. And I'm a person who has mental health issues, but I live a 'stable life' in the eyes of a lot of people, so I have to be careful when I'm speaking on that."
She went on to explain that pansexual is the label that most closely defines her because she is uniquely attracted to all people. A new mom, Kehlani's openness keeps an ebb and flow of information, education, and acceptance between her and her fans, which promotes open communication and acceptance on what can be very complicated topics. The singer also plans to incorporate pronoun changes in her music, further normalizing diverse sexualities in the entertainment industry.