Labels are for clothing, not people—just ask Miley Cyrus or Raven-Symoné!
Both erstwhile Disney stars have spoken out about not wanting to have to identify themselves as straight, gay, bisexual or any other categorized term describing their sexual preferences. Most recently, Miley got people talking when she revealed she's had past relationships that weren't "straight, heterosexual" ones. She was asked further about her sexuality in a Facebook chat, to which she replied: "I never want to label myself! I am ready to love anyone that loves me for who I am! I am open."
Raven, who last year famously told Oprah Winfrey on OWN's Where Are They Now that she didn't want to be labeled as "gay" or "African-American," completely understands what Miley meant by the no-labels bit. She actually defended the singer Monday while guest co-hosting ABC's The View, saying, "She doesn't want to be labeled. That sounds familiar!"
The portion of Raven's OWN interview in which she said she only wanted to be labeled as "a human who loves humans" and "American" played back. "I got a lot of heat for that off the Internet and in the black community," she explained to the ladies on The View.
"I'm not going to say African-American community, I'm going to say black community," she clarified. "Because they thought that I said I wasn't black...Everybody was mad that I didn't call myself African.""
"I know where my roots come from," she said. "She [Miley] knows where her roots come from. She knows who she lays in the bed with..."
Raven voiced support for Miley, saying she wholeheartedly agreed "we should not be labeled, because that creates tension between people..."
In the video above from ABC's The View, Raven further explains why neither she nor Miley should feel like they have to label themselves. Her alternative suggestion? "Let's just be human and call it a day," she said.
Watch it all unfold for yourself in the clip up top.