In the weeks following Frank Ocean’s courageous admission that his first love was a man, the singer has received an overflow of support and criticism as vast, swirling and deep as his name.
Many stars, like Beyonce, Russell Simmons and Tyler The Creator have already come out in support of Ocean, saying that his decision to speak openly about his past love has given the historically homophobic world of black music, an opportunity to open it’s doors to the idea of change and allow room for LGBT artists to express themselves freely in the genre.
Even scholars and activists have gotten in on the conversation, claiming that Ocean’s sexual revelation is allowing black America to have more open dialogue about the changing ideas on the rigid roles of black masculinity and sexuality.
And with Ocean’s debut album, Channel Orange, hitting stores today, more stars, like Jamie Foxx, 50 Cent, Jermaine Dupri and Erykah Badu, have decided to show their support for Ocean and give their take on what it means for a young black male artist to share his sexuality with the world.
Check out all of the celebrity responses below. – nicholas robinson
