On Tuesday July 20, 1993, Whitney Houston performed one of many concerts at Radio City Music Hall. She was touring the world in support of "The Bodyguard" soundtrack. Houston performed her many hits and by all accounts, the night was a massive success.
What makes this night even more special, is that it was the very first concert I attended.
I was three years old at the time. I know most people would consider three years old to be awfully young to go to a concert. But I wasn't like most kids. This was when Whitney Houston was at her peak. Not just in popularity, but in vocal prowess. She was everywhere and I was a huge fan.
In those days, you couldn't just buy your tickets online. There was no such thing. You had to purchase them over the phone. I'm talking about a phone with a long cord plugged into the wall. I remember my mother being on hold waiting to buy the tickets and putting the phone up to my ear. They were playing "I'm Every Woman." I still remember the excitement I felt in that moment.
I don't have much memory of the show itself, but I do remember being excited to hear "Jesus Loves Me." That was my favorite Whitney Houston song at the time. My parents tell me that I had a great time. Not a bad first concert as far as I'm concerned.
It's no doubt that anybody on Houston's level had a massive entourage with them. From hair and makeup to managers to personal assistants. One of the people who most likely accompanied Houston on this tour was her closest friend, Robyn Crawford.
Crawford and Houston met when they were teenagers at a summer camp. They became so close that Houston hired Crawford as her personal assistant. There have been rumors about the two being in a lesbian relationship for years. Houston always denied the rumors during her lifetime.
Well, it now seems to be Crawford's turn to talk. In her new book, "A Song For You: My Life With Whitney Houston," Crawford details the time she spent with Houston, both as a friend and colleague. Crawford also confirms that there was a physical aspect of their relationship.
In recent weeks, Crawford has been promoting her new book, making the rounds on various shows. The one thing that surprises me, is the overwhelmingly positive response she appears to be receiving. Don't get me wrong, I'm not wishing hate on Crawford or anyone. However, I find it a bit unsettling that there hasn't been a significant backlash.
As previously stated, Houston never spoke of their relationship during her lifetime. Not only did she remain quiet, but she denied it was true when questioned in interviews. She clearly didn't want to make this information public knowledge. Yet, here is Crawford selling this story all these years later.
That is, if we believe Crawford is telling the truth.
Even though Crawford claims she never discussed labels with Houston like gay or bisexual, I still see this as a form of outing. True, Crawford isn't labeling Houston's sexual orientation. However, if Houston didn't want the world to know she had a relationship with another woman, her wishes should be respected.
It does make me wonder why so many people are okay with Crawford revealing this personal information. I think there are some who want Houston to be seen as lesbian or bisexual for their own personal reasons. Some people seem to want her to be this LGBTQ figure for them to look up to.
I don't understand the need for such a thing in 2019. We have so many out LGBTQ public figures. Why do we need Whitney Houston to be that for us? Houston never made her sexuality a particularly important part of her work or image. I have plenty of LGBTQ artists I admire. I don't need Whitney Houston to be that for me. I admire her for different reasons.
People also push this narrative that Crawford could've prevented Houston's death. Some say if their relationship were accepted, Houston wouldn't have had the urge to dive deeper into drug use. Others say that if Crawford remained in Houston's inner circle, she could've gotten through to Whitney.
What these people fail to understand is, addiction is the addict's problem and nobody else's. As Houston stated in her 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer, the biggest devil among the drugs was herself. Forcing someone into rehab won't make them stick to sobriety. The only person who is responsible for the habit is the addict themselves. You're setting yourself up for disappointment if you try to change a person.
There are also those who say that Crawford is justified in speaking about their relationship. Houston's mother, Cissy Houston, wrote a book of her own where she discussed her daughter. She even spoke to Oprah Winfrey about her suspicions regarding Whitney's relationship with Robyn. When Winfey asked Cissy if she would've been bothered if Whitney was gay, she said yes.
Bobby Brown also spoke about Whitney's relationship with Crawford in his book. Brown claimed Houston was bisexual and told him of her sexual relationship with Crawford. Certain fans claim that since both of these people have spoken about her, Crawford should be allowed to tell her side.
I agree that she should be allowed to tell her side. However, I still don't think it's the right thing to do. I don't see how much damage this speculation would've done to Crawford had she remained silent. She's not a public figure. She keeps a low profile and lives an ordinary life.
If she had released a book talking about everything but their sexual relationship, I would feel a bit better about this. Sure, it would still feel like a disappointing cash-grab. However, a certain level of respect for Houston's wishes would've remained. I hold onto my view that what Crawford has done crossed a line.
