‘They Raised Me & Protected Me’

Lenny Kravitz is opening up and reflecting on his heavy influence and close bond with the LGBTQ+ community. The Black rock legend notes that several people from the community have “raised me and protected me.”

In a new feature with Esquire, Kravitz talks about being heavily influenced by the LGBTQ+ community throughout his life and career. 

Lenny Kravitz has declared his heterosexuality on numerous occasions, and it’s mostly due to his unapologetic and daring choices to go outside the norm as a Black rockstar. The rocker has never been afraid to jump outside the box like other legends, ie: Prince, Little Richard, Slash, etc.

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Kravitz hasn’t been opposed to wearing vibrant and flamboyant clothing, dabbling in male makeup, etc. Kravitz, who is a notable ally to the LGBTQ+ community is now paying homage to a group of people who have inspired his iconic, bold, and stylish looks that we all have fallen in love with.

Though his music is his biggest identifier, Kravitz makes sure to note that his fashion choices are another big identifier, which he thanks the queer community for.

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Speaking with Esquire, the 59-year-old singer-songwriter and actor explains, “Not only in fashion and style because that’s just something on top. They raised me. I was in the street—my choice—and it was the eighties in West Hollywood.”

Kravitz continues, “It was that time; artists, musicians, hairstylists, and designers, those were the people I was hanging out with. I wanted to be around the creatives, and most of the people I met were from that community.” Kravitz notes, “[They] protected me. Educated me. Fed me.”

Previously, Kravitz has portrayed the unofficially-declared gay character “Cinna” in the 2012 film ‘The Hunger Games.’ The character, who was a stylist and friend to the main character “Katniss Everdeen,” was never fully revealed as gay. 

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While speaking with Celebuzz in 2012, Kravitz admitted, “I’ll be quite frank with you — I didn’t know about ‘Hunger Games.’ So when I’m telling kids and they say, ‘Who are you playing?’ and I say ‘Cinna,’ they go, ‘Oh you’re playing the gay guy.’ That was an actual answer. I’ve never brought that up yet. That’s how they perceived it.” 

He continued, “So I thought about it, and I read the book and I don’t see that he is or isn’t [gay]. He’s a designer, he’s a stylist, he has gold eyeliner — that doesn’t mean anything either way.”

Kravitz also shared where he got his inspiration for his role. He revealed, “I actually have a friend who is a dancer who is bisexual, and he was a lot of inspiration for my speech pattern and my rhythm, and kind of the way I sauntered in and out a little bit.”

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