Raven-Symoné Chose Not To Have Disney Character Be A Lesbian

Raven-Symoné is making it clear that her personal and professional life do not mix while she is on-screen. 

The Raven’s Home actress appeared on a recent episode of the Pride podcast with her wife, Miranda Maday. She was asked about her Disney Channel character, Raven Baxter, being portrayed as a lesbian character in the reboot of Raven’s Home.  

The show is the spin-off of its original show That’s So Raven, entering into the fourth season. Raven Baxter is a divorced mother of two who lives with her best friend, Chelsea (Anneliese van der Pol), and her son.

“You know what,” Symoné shared, “there was a conversation before the series started, and I was asked the question, ‘Would you like Raven Baxter to be a lesbian?’ And I said, no. I said no.”

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She added, “The reason I said, no, wasn’t because I wasn’t proud of who I was, or I didn’t want to represent the LGBTQ+ community in any way. It was because Raven Baxter is Raven Baxter is Raven Baxter. There was no reason for me to change the human that she was in order to fit the actress that played her. And Raven Baxter is a character that I was proud to play. Even if she is straight, cisgender, I don’t mind, let her have her moment.” 

Symoné came out in 2013 and tied the knot to her wife in 2020.

She also emphasized in the podcast episode the importance of separating her character’s storyline and her own reality. 

“When you really start blending your personal self with your character self, it’s even harder,” she continued. “Like, I’m stereotyped for the rest of my life. Let’s just keep it 100. You know what I mean? If you ever see me in another character, you see Raven Baxter, and that’s just what the deal is. I think the one thing that differentiates me from her is now a lot more.”