R&B artist Frank Ocean has spoken out against the hateful acts towards the LGBT community in an emotional blog post responding to the Orlando shooting. He writes: “Many hate us and wish we don’t exist”.
Since Ocean’s debut album Channel Orange was released in 2012, he has avoided all interviews and has only spoken out on social media, previousl written tributes to Prince and spoken out on Donald Trump. Tuesday’s personal post on Tumblr described his reaction to the Orlando shooting and the history of hate towards the LGBT community.
“I heard on the news that the aftermath of a hate crime left piles of bodies on a dance floor this month”, Ocean said. “I heard the gunman feigned dead among all the people he killed. I heard the news say he was one of us”. Ocean continued to say the last time he saw his father was aged six, at lunch when his dad called their waitress a faggot – the first time Ocean had heard the derogatory word.
“Many don’t see anything wrong with passing down the same old values that send thousands of kids into suicidal depression each year. So we say pride and we express love for whom and what we are. Because who else will in earnest?”
Fans and music press have been anxiously waiting for a follow up to Channel Orange, mainly due to the singer’s own hints on social media about new music. The album was reported to have been premiered at a listening party in New York earlier this year.
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