Beyoncé Explains Why Women Need To 'Own Their Sexuality'

The global superstar talks about sexual liberation and equal rights in the new issue of Out magazine

Anyone who's listened to Beyoncé's latet album is aware that sex is a pretty common theme throughout. (If you're not convinced, have another watch of this music video.)

But the album is also about female empowerment, gender equality and feminism - and the Queen Bey says those topics all tie together.

'There is unbelievable power in ownership, and women should own their sexuality,' she tells Out. 'There is a double standard when it comes to sexuality that still persists. Men are free and women are not. That is crazy. The old lessons of submissiveness and fragility made us victims. Women are so much more than that. You can be a businesswoman, a mother, an artist, and a feminist - whatever you want to be - and still be a sexual being. It’s not mutually exclusive.'

The theme of owning your sexuality carries through to the cover of the US magazine. In the black-and-white shot, a topless Beyoncé channels her inner Marilyn Monroe and strikes a sexy pose. The cover features just one word: 'Power.'

In the accompanying interview for the magazine (which is aimed at a gay and lesbian audience), Bey clarifies that her message of power and equality isn't just a gender issue.

'What I’m really referring to, and hoping for, is human rights and equality, not just that between a woman and a man,' she says. 'So I’m very happy if my words can ever inspire or empower someone who considers themselves an oppressed minority... We are all the same and we all want the same things: the right to be happy, to be just who we want to be and to love who we want to love.'

Sounds like that's a message we can all support.

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