Frank Ocean: Most Poetic ‘Coming Out’ Following Jim Parsons and Anderson Cooper
Sitcom/Broadway, Journalism and Hip Hop: The difference is in the emotional impact
Frank Ocean comes out in a moving Tumblr post, and nails the most poetic "coming out" after the much talked about disclosures of Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons and CNN's Anderson Cooper.
One from television and Broadway, one from a global news network, and another from the world of hip hop. In a world where people are still shocked by a person's sexual orientation, whose revelation is most surprising?
TV and Broadway: Jim Parsons - quick mention, no biggie
About six weeks ago, New York Times' Patrick Healy casually lets out that the brilliant Emmy-winning actor playing Dr. Sheldon Cooper is gay. In Parsons' profile written for the promotion of Broadway's Harvey, Healy writes, "'The Normal Heart' resonated with him on a few levels: Mr. Parsons is gay and in a 10-year relationship."
On Twitter, a lot of people said it was not surprising, and it did not seem like Parsons was "in the closet," after all. There were a lot of reactions, but surprise was scarce.
Giant News Network: Anderson Cooper - elaborate official statement, analytical
Just days ago, Cooper also came out in an official statement on his old friend Andrew Sullivan's blog.
"Even though my job puts me in the public eye, I have tried to maintain some level of privacy in my life," Cooper writes, later adding, "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."
The statement became fodder for news for days, overshadowing the impending divorce of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. But Cooper was more analytical than emotional in his revelation, which by the way, also did not surprise many.
Hip Hop Industry: Frank Ocean - poetic, heartfelt and moving
Frank Ocean, on the other hand, wore his heart on his sleeve in a touching all-uppercase narrative.
"In the last year or (three), I've screamed at my creator. Screamed at clouds in the sky. For some explanation. Mercy maybe. For peace of mind to rain like manna somehow," Ocean writes before going to narrate that he met a man four years ago. They were both 19 at the time.
The whole post is written in heartfelt sincerity, as if every word was bursting out of his mind for some freedom. Towards the end of the post, Ocean writes:
"I don't have any secrets I need kept anymore ... I feel like a free man."
In its report, TMZ touched upon how difficult it must have been for Ocean to come out very publicly in an intimate post on an online social network.
"There has been a lot of intolerance in the hip hop world toward gays and bisexuals, so Frank's disclosure has enormous importance," TMZ notes.
Ocean won praises for his surprising disclosure. On Twitter, @franklinleonard wrote, "Frank Ocean's music is all the more impressive after today. His method of revelation is a display of class and manliness few are capable of."