Miss Cleo Puts Her Cards On Table

By Keith Boykin, in sexuality
Monday, September 25 2006, 11:16AM

Youree Dell Harris, better known as Miss Cleo, has told the world what few people predicted -- she's a lesbian. The once popular television figure known for the catch-phrases "The cards never lie!" and "Call me now, babies," made a career by pretending to be a Jamaican infomercial psychic who would give special tarot card readings to callers.

After some controversy in 2001 and 2002, a Florida newspaper reported that Miss Cleo's birth certificate identifies her as Youree Harris, and that she was born in the United States. The news of Miss Cleo's sexuality was first published in the October 2006 issue of The Advocate magazine, where Miss Cleo may be launching her comeback. Later this year, she is set to join the cast of the reality series The Surreal Life, which is scheduled to air in late 2006 or early 2007.

Miss Cleo, who now identifies herself more as a "shaman" than a psychic, tells The Advocate that she decided to come out after speaking to her 16-year-old godson who was coming out on his own. Cleo now "performs weddings—both gay and straight —and house cleansings and blessings," she said.

So if she could see the future, what took her so long to come to terms with it? “The reason it’s scary is because in my personal experience, black cultures throughout the world have a more difficult time accepting homosexuality in their family," she said. "I have family members who will be shocked; they don’t know. I have some family members who are very close to me, and they do know. But I’ve been afraid of the wrath, of the exile. When I came out to a number of friends in the late ’80s I had a number of friends who turned their backs on me and walked away. That was really intense."

Personally, I can't see the future, but I'm willing to predict that her coming out will have a positive effect on the community. When someone who knows Miss Cleo finds out that she is a lesbian, that will help that person to re-think what it means to be a lesbian. The more people who come out, especially in the black community, the more we can challenge the stereotype of what it means to be gay or lesbian.

So I've got an offer for Miss Cleo. If you're listening now, call me baby. Let's talk. I'd be happy to interview you and share your story with others.

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