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Frank Ocean comes out on Independence Day
Frank Ocean says he feels like a free man: The acclaimed singer has revealed on his website that his first love was a man.
He wrote on July 4 on his Tumblr page that he fell in love at 19 with a friend whom he spent two summers with. When he confessed his feelings, the friend didn’t reciprocate, though he did years later.
Ocean wrote, “Whoever you are, wherever you are..I’m starting to think we’re a lot alike. Human beings spinning on blackness. All wanting to be seen, touched, paid attention to.”
Ocean’s self-released “nostalgia, ULTRA” was named as one of the best albums of 2011 by some critics.
He also was prominently featured on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Watch the Throne” album last year. He is part of the hip-hop collective Odd Future led by Tyler, the Creator, who is known for using anti-gay epithets in his lyrics.
Tyler expressed support for Ocean on Twitter – in crude fashion.
At the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, president Herndon Graddick said, “Frank Ocean’s bravery will no doubt help countless young people, who might still be struggling with their identities, realize that it’s ok to be who you are.”
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