Lifetime’s new biopic, Whitney, focused heavily on the late singer’s relationships. Not just her marriage to Bobby Brown, but also her relationship with her long-time friend and rumored lesbian lover, Robyn Crawford (played by Yolanda Ross).

According to ET Online, Whitney director Angela Bassett is leaving it up to the audience to decide whether those rumors are true.

“There always have been rumors and they still persist. There was always speculation so my thing was, let it remain,” Bassett said. “It’d be how the audience sees it. If they read into it, that’s what they read into—two women who are close and love each other and support one another.”

Throughout Bassett’s film, Crawford is shown as supportive and affectionate toward Houston, offering her a comforting squeeze of the hand and supporting her while on tour. Later in the film, Crawford physical fights Bobby Brown to keep him from seeing the distraught singer, further fueling rumors that Houston and Crawford were more than just friends.

Bassett, however, says revealing Houston’s sexuality was not nearly as important to her as portraying how strong their friendship was.

“I think what they had between them is a real, honest and fierce affection and caring for one another,” Bassett says. “May we all have a friend who will fight for us.”