Jamaican Singer Diana King Confesses She Is A Lesbian

Internationally acclaimed Jamaican singer, Diana King has taken an unprecedented step within the local music industry as she dropped a bombshell on Thursday, admitting that she is a lesbian.

The highly regarded Reggae singer, known for classics such as Shy Guy, I Say A Little Prayer and L-L-Lies made the confession through a note which she issued on her official Facebook page. It's a historic moment within the local music industry as she's the first artiste of note to come out as a homosexual.

In her note, King wrote, "My name is DIANA EUGENA KING, known to most as DIANA KING my fans call me KingSinga."

"I AM … WOMAN … MOTHER ... AUNT … JAMAICAN … AMERICAN ... INTERNATIONAL ARTIST ... SINGER ... SONGWRITER ... BAND LEADER … FRIEND ... LOVER ... ENTREPRENEUR ... GODDESS! among other things AND YES!!!…I AM A LESBIAN ... the answer to my most asked INDIRECT question. I welcome the "WHO CARES" right now. LOL."

"I answer now, not because it's anyone's business BUT because IT FEELS RIGHT WITH my SOUL and I believe by not answering or hiding it all these years somehow makes it appear as if I AM ASHAMED OF IT or THAT I BELIEVE IT IS WRONG. I FEEL NEITHER OF THOSE THINGS … or I would have grown my hair. But all kidding aside, I AM a private person, but sometimes, one has to step outside of their comfort zone to GROW. This here, that I'm doing, is my road. Not everyone will OR is required to travel this way. Some people will carry this fact about themselves to the grave and that's their prerogative but, a "GOOD" reputation can be a GIGANTIC LOAD in a girls backpack. I KNOW now that it's time I fully practice the meaning of my face tattoo, which is LOVE YOURSELF LIVE YOURSELF. I JUST WANT TO KEEP IT REAL."

"HONESTLY SPEAKING, I have always been AFRAID to admit it openly, because of the UNKNOWN of what it may cause negatively, to me my career my family and loved ones. But I realized that it is not my job to make others COMFORTABLE, I AM ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR MY LIFE, the stuff U think about on your deathbed and at this point in my life I DO NOT CARE about the things that FRIGHTEN me anymore. My biggest regret is that I didn't COME OUT earlier because being silent has held me back from being ALL that I was born to be. The DEEP FEAR that I've had, especially that my own JAMAICAN PEOPLE will judge me and not accept me because of their homophobia has been a heavy burden. I fly my country's flag HIGH. Always with respect and honor everywhere I go, there is no doubt where I AM from, especially in my music. And I am nothing but PROUD of myself and my accomplishments, no one can take that away from me, IT IS already written in the History Books. But I often wonder, if JAMROCK would have STILL been proud of me if they knew the truth from the days of SHY GUY. So even though I'm a woman of the world, living out of my massive duffle bags in different countries, week after week month after month , JAMAICA has been in my head with great LOVE and absolute FEAR. The harsh reality that people like ME are persecuted, beaten, jailed, raped and murdered everyday JUST for being who they are or JUST EVEN BEING SUSPECTED OF IT. It's what I saw too many times growing up in SPANISH TOWN and living in KINGSTON and it scared me to death. I COULDN'T WAIT TO GET OUT OF THERE. It is hard to imagine the anguish inside if you are not considered an ABOMINATION I and cannot relate personally. BUT GO AHEAD., IMAGINE IT for a minute."

King has re-appeared on the Jamaican spotlight in recent years, unveiling her fourth studio album, Warrior Girl in 2010, which was released digitally a year later in the United States under the name Agirlnameking. Additionally, she performed at the last two editions of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival in Trelawny. At this year's edition, she shared the stage with multiple award-winning Canadian songstress.