Nicki Minaj is the new Queen of hip hop, and somewhere along the way, she has also become a big influence in the gay and lesbian community.

Female pop artists like Madonna, Grace Jones and Lady Gaga have huge fan bases in those communities as well, but it’s not something that has ever happened before in rap.

The Trinidad born femcee recently talked with PaperMag about how this came to be, and why she embraces it.

“I didn’t set out to do that. I just like to put a spotlight on the people who support me, and it just so happens, you know, that the gay community has supported me — more than I ever could have imagined,” she says. “I see videos on YouTube where they impersonate me, and they do an amazing freaking job of dressing up as me.”

Nicki credits going to LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (the “Fame school”) as being a major influence and with keeping her open minded.

“I saw gay kids, I saw white kids, I saw grunge and pink hair and piercings,” she recalls. “I think because of that, I didn’t put limits on myself or what I was going to put in my raps. I really just wanted to be diverse.”

The Young Money rapper thinks that one day we will see a male counterpart have just as big of an impact in the gay community. Nicki, who has said she is bi-sexual, told Details that time might not come that soon though.

“I think the world is getting more gay-friendly, so hip-hop is too. But it’s harder to imagine an openly gay male rapper being embraced. People view gay men as having no street credibility. But I think we’ll see one in my lifetime.”