R&B singer, Frank Ocean, comes out 2

Coming Out, Gay - Cures • Tags: , , , ,

Frank Ocean

Now, this is a “listen up world, I am gay” revelation that I think is worth expending some time on. I don’t know Frank Ocean from Adam but he surely sounds like a grounded, young, gay black man who has decided to give up the ghost – without the cushion of a highly successfully R&B funded bank account to fall back to in the [likely] event that the fall-out from his coming out should affect his career adversely.That makes Ocean’s decision to come out anyway very brave, far more brave than Elton John’s (for instance) who came out when he was already  a multi-millionaire ten times over so that his coming out didn’t really make any difference to a career he’d already established.

To put it in context, Luther Vandross never came out despite the fact that he wouldn’t have had anything to lose – he was already well established in the depths of his most wrenching struggles with his sexuality. So, one can argue that had he come out, he would have had a far less traumatic time than he did, grappling with his sexuality.  After all, he wouldn’t have had to worry about losing his accomplishments – he was already a household (and rich) crooner by the time he turned 40.

Money quote from Frank Ocean:

“We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost. And on the days we were together, time would glide. Most of the day I’d see him, and his smile. Sleep I would often share with him. ”By the time I realised I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless. ”There was no escaping, no negotiating to the women I had been with, the ones I cared for and thought I was in love with.”

Aah.

In contrast, if you are still interested, you can check out Anderson Cooper‘s “hey world, the sky is blue” coming out ‘news’ of a few days ago. Ricky Martin, too, came out a couple of years ago in a similar fashion – when everyone who was interested already knew … and didn’t give a hoot.

Thank heavens for small mercies.

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