Frank Ocean: Coming Out Lifted 'Boulder'

Ocean says being closeted was a 'boulder on my chest.'

Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

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Trudy Ring

July 20 2012 6:21 PM EST

August 23 2016 2:13 AM EST

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Hip-hop star Frank Ocean says being closeted was a "boulder on my chest" and coming out was "about my own sanity" in an interview to be published Saturday by London's Guardian.

In the interview, which will be in the paper's Guide section tomorrow, Ocean addresses the need for gay role models: "I wished at 13 there was somebody I looked up to who would have said something like that, who would have been transparent in that way."

He also says he doesn't see coming out as particularly risky. "Sure, evil exists, extremism exists," he says. "Somebody could commit a hate crime and hurt me. But they could do the same just because I'm black. They could do the same just because I'm American."

Ocean, a member of the group Odd Future, came out in a Tumblr post early this month. His first major-label solo album, Channel Orange, has just been released and has been well received by critics and the public.