Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are!
That seems to be the growing motto these days and some high profile celebrities have taking that giant leap of truth and have come out about their sexuality this week.
A few ago rumors surfaced the web that a certain artist would be revealing that they were GAY and proud in an upcoming album and so many artists names were dropped in the bucket list. Well, it has ben confirmed that R&B singer/rapper, Frank Ocean [aka the Future of R&B] is the artist in question. Ocean allegedly speaks on his bi-sexualtiy on a few tracks off his upcoming lp “Orange Channel” [which set to drop July 17th]. Ocean references ‘him’ instead of ‘her’ on various tracks such as “Bad Religion“, “Forrest Gump,” and “Pink Matter“.
Now, twitter was in a frenzy earlier today after reports flew that Ocean confirmed the news to MTV, however, MTV quickly denied the reports and said that they’ve yet to receive confirmation and or speak personally with Ocean about the allegations.
Frank Ocean has made a name for himself in the industry and has work with and written for industry heavyweight such as Beyonce, Nas [whom he is featured with on Nas new album], John Legend, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z and Kanye [whom Ocean’s featured and co-wrote on “The Watch The Throne” album songs: “No Church In The Wild”, and “Made In America”.
Meanwhile, caribbean artist Diane King came out of the closet [herself] over the weekend and the news shocked many people. King is the first dancehall reggae artist to publicly announce that she is “GAY“. It’s no secret that many dancehall reggae & caribbean artist have been banned recently from shows in the states and internationally for using prejudice slurs against homosexuals and with the growing controversy [which still fuels caribbean people] King [who is highly respected and admired in the music industry] decided to ear out her sexuality as a result.
Hoping to inspire others while opening up about her own fears of coming out King wrote a letter to her fans.
My name is DIANA EUGENA KING, known to most as DIANA KING my fans call me KingSinga.
I AM … WOMAN … MOTHER … AUNT … JAMAICAN … AMERICAN … INTERNATIONAL ARTIST … SINGER … SONGWRITER … BAND LEADER … FRIEND … LOVER … ENTREPRENEUR … GODDESS! among other things AND YES!!!…
I AM A LESBIAN … the answer to my most asked INDIRECT question.
I welcome the “WHO CARES” right now LOL.I answer now, not because it’s anyone’s business BUT because IT FEELS RIGHT WITH my SOUL and I believe by not answering or hiding it all these years somehow makes it appear as if I AM ASHAMED OF IT or THAT I BELIEVE IT IS WRONG. I FEEL NEITHER OF THOSE THINGS … or I would have grown my hair. But all kidding aside, I AM a private person, but sometimes, one has to step outside of their comfort zone to GROW. This here, that I’m doing, is my road. Not everyone will OR is required to travel this way. Some people will carry this fact about themselves to the grave and that’s their prerogative but, a “GOOD” reputation can be a GIGANTIC LOAD in a girls backpack. I KNOW now that it’s time I fully practice the meaning of my face tattoo, which is LOVE YOURSELF LIVE YOURSELF. I JUST WANT TO KEEP IT REAL.
HONESTLY SPEAKING, I have always been AFRAID to admit it openly, because of the UNKNOWN of what it may cause negatively, to me my career my family and loved ones. But I realized that it is not my job to make others COMFORTABLE, I AM ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR MY LIFE, the stuff U think about on your deathbed and at this point in my life I DO NOT CARE about the things that FRIGHTEN me anymore. My biggest regret is that I didn’t COME OUT earlier because being silent has held me back from being ALL that I was born to be. The DEEP FEAR that I’ve had, especially that my own JAMAICAN PEOPLE will judge me and not accept me because of their homophobia has been a heavy burden. I fly my country’s flag HIGH. Always with respect and honor everywhere I go, there is no doubt where I AM from, especially in my music. And I am nothing but PROUD of myself and my accomplishments, no one can take that away from me, IT IS already written in the History Books. But I often wonder, if JAMROCK would have STILL been proud of me if they knew the truth from the days of SHY GUY. So even though I’m a woman of the world, living out of my massive duffle bags in different countries, week after week month after month , JAMAICA has been in my head with great LOVE and absolute FEAR. The harsh reality that people like ME are persecuted, beaten, jailed, raped and murdered everyday JUST for being who they are or JUST EVEN BEING SUSPECTED OF IT. It’s what I saw too many times growing up in SPANISH TOWN and living in KINGSTON and it scared me to death. I COULDN’T WAIT TO GET OUT OF THERE. It is hard to imagine the anguish inside if you are not considered an ABOMINATION I and cannot relate personally. BUT GO AHEAD …….. IMAGINE IT for a minute.
And I can only image what it is like, living there and enduring that reality everyday 24/7 365 days of the year. I WILL NOT carry this baggage ANYMORE. In about 10 years I will B older than both my parents before they died. MY PERSONAL NEED to be 100% authentic and TRUE to myself and to make sure my children learn, especially from me, not to EVER be afraid to be WHO THEY ARE is stronger than any insecurities I may have had over the years. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WHO I AM from the moment I could think and had even tried to be THE OPPOSITE because of society’s pressures. Trying to LIVE A LIE is horrible, whether GAY or STRAIGHT and for me, was the saddest part of it all because it only caused immense pain to everyone involved. I have been myself to the fullest ALL EXCEPT for when I came to my sexuality. And it is particularly tormenting U R a FREE SPIRIT. Only people who were very close knew because I told them. I’ve never felt comfortable being around or working with people who were UNCOMFORTABLE with that fact … and I thought for a long while that that would be enough. But it wasn’t and it is not. NOT FOR ME … it feels like living INCOMPLETE. I have MUCH RESPECT and deep ADMIRATION for all those who have COME OUT before me, Dead or Alive. I have stood on the sidelines COVETING your bravery. YOU and LOVE have given me the COURAGE.
You can read the full letter here. Whatever your orientation, own it and be proud of who you are! It’s time we end HATE!
In related news, CNN correspondent Anderson Cooper revealed that he too was “GAY” and has been so time for years . Here’s an excerpt of his letter of admission.
I did not address my sexual orientation in the memoir I wrote several years ago because it was a book focused on war, disasters, loss and survival. I didn’t set out to write about other aspects of my life.
Recently, however, I’ve begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. It’s become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide something – something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true.
I’ve also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible. There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand.
The fact is, I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.
I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don’t give that up by being a journalist.