Queen Latifah Will Headline First Gay Pride Festival

Actress-singer Queen Latifah will participate as a performer at a gay pride celebration for the first time with a concert at Long Beach, California's annual LGBT Pride festival later this month.

Following her groundbreaking debut album All Hail the Queen, Latifah made the transition from rap star to accomplished actress with a string of acclaimed roles, including lesbian characters in films such as the 1996 crime drama Set It Off and the 2002 musical Chicago, for which she received an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress. Latifah also demonstrated her range as a vocalist, recording many jazz standards for the soundtrack to her film Living Out Loud and a collection of contemporary hits titled The Dana Owens Album. Latifah is currently executive producing and co-executive producing a remake of the 1989 tearjerker Steel Magnolias for Lifetime.

"From hip to R&B, pop to standards, Queen Latifah is the voice of our generation, and her concert here will be phenomenal, for her to make her worldwide Pride debut here in Long Beach is a tremendous testament to the popularity of our celebration and to the strength of our community," says Long Beach Pride Co-President Pat Crosby in a statement.

Latifah's performance is scheduled for May 19. For more information go to LongBeachPride.com.