Talib Kweli Quotes

I never want to be called the funniest Indian female comedian that exists. I feel like I can go head-to-head with the best white, male comedy writers that are out there. Why would I want to self-categorize myself into a smaller group than I'm able to compete in?

Even if you're 'the gay guy,' if you're winning events, you're still winning events.

Paul Robeson was an athlete, Rutgers valedictorian, lawyer, writer, actor in movies and plays, great voice - a black male doing it all, back when some people thought he shouldn't. One reason I do all the things I do is to break stereotypes that people can only do certain things.

I'd only been out for, like, six months before I booked 'Insurgent'. It was my first role in America, and it was a huge movie franchise. All I'd ever hear at the time was how Hollywood treated gay men or queer men, so I was, like, 'Well, I'm not going to shoot myself in the foot before I've even started life here,' you know?

Often in the past, when we have had a deaf person in the spotlight, we have been portrayed badly. It was up to me to change that.

I definitely carry a little bit of a burden with me, being a gay athlete going to the Olympics. I think that there's pressure on me... It presents an amazing opportunity, and I think that it kind of gives us a chance to shed people's misconceptions and just kind of, like, break down barriers.

Who would've thought that this little girl in the ghetto in Philly would be playing the first black lesbian superhero on network TV?

Nowadays, we have to break the molds to what it means to be a model in 2016.

Growing up a lot of people said I played like a guy. They thought it was an insult, but I was like, 'That's fine, I don't care.'

I wanted to do action, and it was a bit irritating when people called me a chocolate boy. I can do other films, too.

'2 Dope Queens,' it was just a way for us to showcase female comedians, showcase comedians of color, showcase LGBT comedians, and shake up the landscape and be like, 'Hey, there is more than just what is out there.'

Trixie Mattel has always opened doors for me. It's closed very few.

I want to be in this position for people to be able to see I made it. I'm gay, I made it. You can. Not exactly doing the same thing I'm doing, but if it's a job or school or whatever, you're able to make it.

I'm not doing what I do to prove what a woman is capable of. I'm not doing what I do to make Formula E more diverse. I'm doing what I do to be successful. If that's inspirational, then great.

I do think television has really fantasized it to the point where now everyone wants a gay best friend.

The beauty industry is just like the fashion industry - prejudice is ingrained. But with new people coming in with fresh eyes and passion, I definitely am seeing progress.

I'm not like, 'I'm a famous doula.' I'm a doula. I'm trying to find a way to get rid of the stigma around 'You're the singer; You're the actor' - we have to be able to do more than one thing.

I'm openly gay, and I've got a major label record deal in Nashville, and it happened when I was 42 years old. It's not supposed to happen that way.

I'm incredibly proud to be the first trans director to be nominated for an Oscar.

I never grew up seeing women that looked like me in magazines or on TV and didn't feel like I had a place in the world of fashion. I am honoured to be part of that change.

At least international media can see how I am trying to change the typical orthodox mindset of people who don't want to come out of their shells of false beliefs and old practices.

I did notice growing up that there are so many things, obstacles and things, that people think you can't do because you're Muslim or because you're wearing a hijab. You hear a lot of no's. That was something that I wanted to see change.

I've not just played for England. I've done it for all the black players out there - to prove that they can do it.

The parts that I get to play are not based around the European beauty standards: They're more about character, and I love that.

The more queer characters I play over my years of working as an actor, and the more I see other young artists stepping up with the same intention I have, to make space for the voices of a generation of people who may not fit the status-quo, the more it inspires me to keep going.