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Oprah, Marriage and Being a ‘Wife’
Tying the knot with her longtime beau would change things — and not for the better
Oprah Winfrey is one of the most famous, richest and powerful women in the world, and beloved by many. And yet even she isn’t free from having to defend her choices.
Oprah is unmarried, although she has had a steady partner for 28 years. But because she has chosen to remain unmarried, some wonder — is she or isn’t she gay?
Here’s how the media handled a yacht cruise of the Virgin Islands Oprah took her BFF of three decades, Gayle King, last year:
“Not seen with Oprah and Gayle was the legendary talk show host’s partner of 28 years, Stedman Graham. The Oscar-nominated diva and her 59-year-old gal pal are practically inseparable, which has led to persistent gay rumours. ‘I am not lesbian. I am not even kind of lesbian.’”
And that’s how society treats people who chose to couple outside the one-size-fits-all marital box we’ve been led to believe is the only way to live — get married and live together. If you don’t chose that path, well, you must be gay.
Think how tiring it must be say, “I’m not lesbian,” over and over again (as if being a lesbian was a bad thing). And think how tiring it must be to explain why — at age 61 —…
