Lena Waithe Thinks Being A Queer Black Woman Has Helped Her Career

No one would ever say that breaking into Hollywood is “easy.” Nearly every actor, filmmaker, or crew member that has ever had success in the film and TV industries has a horror story about how difficult it was to break out in the business. And we’ve heard from numerous women and POCs that not being a white male has made their journey all the more difficult. However, for filmmaker Lena Waithe, she thinks her unique self has made things a little easier.

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Speaking at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s HBCU Leading in Truth Symposium (via Variety), Waithe said that she understands that people assume that she’s probably had difficulty breaking into Hollywood because she’s Black, queer, and a woman. However, she doesn’t think those things have held her back at all.

“People assume that because I’m Black, or because I’m queer or because I’m a woman, those are going to be the things that I’m bumping up against all the time,” Waithe said. “But in truth, it was something that worked for me because people wanted someone that checked more than one box to be in the room. The things that made me different were the things that made me stand out.”

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Of course, Waithe doesn’t think that things are easier for queer Black women than for white men, even if things have worked out to her benefit. She also knows that it’s important for her to show young people the diversity and inclusivity in the projects she works on, such as the Showtime series, “The Chi.”

“At some point we really do need to protect our LGBTQIA young community, but also not put the burden on them always to fix the problem,” she explained. “I think it’s a problem that they didn’t create, and I think sometimes it weighs them down. That saddens me that they were born soldiers, fighting in a war they never started.”

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In addition to “The Chi,” Waithe has worked on a number of TV projects such as “Boomerang,” “Twenties,” and “Master of None.” She’s also written and produced films such as last year’s acclaimed drama, “Queen & Slim.”