Frank Ocean's Letter

Frank Ocean is a swooning, singer songwriter who is part of the controversial California group Odd Future. About two summers ago, in July 2012, he released to the world in a subtle and heartfelt letter that during the summer that he was 19, then being 23, he had engaged in a love affair with another man. Frank never explicitely said he was gay nor did he label himself with any kind of term insisting on such. The way in which he described his relationship itself, paralleled any other one. The love story was written the same way it would have been, had his love interest been a woman. I think Frank's goal in doing so was to show how normal homosexuality is, but also that in essence it was just as "natural" as the relationship between his mother and father. Here is an excerpt from it ....

"4 Summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19 years old. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost. And on the days we were together, time would glide. Most of the day I'd see him, and his' smile. I'd hear his conversation and his silence.....until it was time to sleep."

I find it interesting that automatically after releasing this statement, newspapers read verbatum, "Frank Ocean's Coming Out Letter". It shows that despite the one encounter that Ocean had with a member of the same-sex, he was already deemed to be gay. This related to my last blog where I discussed the problem that people have when understanding that sexuality is fluid and that it runs on a spectrum and that labelization of individuals, such as gay, lesbian, and transgendered can actually work to diminish the importance of such a profound event. Many would argue that Frank Ocean's letter is quite revolutionary, especially within the context of hip hop. The media has already assigned a sexuality to Ocean, although *logically speaking*, he did not really come out. So what is the fixation then on this celebratory attitude that the hip hop media is trying to concur. There is much of a self-congratulations being given to black celebs that are publicly coming out and supporting ocean, so it leads me to question who is the attention being given on? Who's voice is actually important hear, and who's opinion matters the most? this same kind of dynamic, that being detracting the attention away from the unfamiliar, such as homosexuality, to something familiar like non-gay celebrities. This same situation can be found within the topic of Affirmative Action, which is actually supposed to somehow compensate for the long-lasting impacts of slavery and Jim Crowe, marginilization and racism of blacks for the past 300 years. Instead it has become a marketing tool to create an aesthetically pleasing campus for white students. Diversity is set up within the interests of whites, to teach them about people of color's uniqueness, essentially a prop for them to expand their thoughts on the world. Yet, within both structures it still reenforces the binary of you & "the other" (non-white, non-hetero). Although Frank Ocean's courage should not be undermined, it may take longer for the world of hip-hop to truely understand him.

Catching Fire

Josh Hutcherson, the star of the mega film series The Hunger Games did a recent cover shoot with Out Magazine after the recent debut of the new blockbuster film The Hunger Games Catching Fire. The 21 yea old actor said that the lines can be blurred when it come to his opinions on love. " I would probably list myself as mostly straight. But who knows? In a f*cking year, I could meet a guy and be like, "Whoas I'm attracted to this person." His profession has definitely given him the chance to work with attractive men and women. Josh further said to the magazine: " I've met guys all the time that I'm like, Damn that's a good-looking guy," you know?' "I've never been like, Oh, I want to kiss that guy. "I really love women. But I think redefining yourself as 100 percent anything is kind of near-sighted and close-minded.' 
Out is a gay and lesbian magazine that offers issues on fashion, art, politics, and entertainment. The mag cover was November's issue following the highly anticipated sequel Hunger Games Catching Fire. Not only do I applaud Hutcherson for his openess, but because he has been entrapped into this position of being a hearthrob, the dream of many teenage girls all over the world, it makes his act deviant to every box Hollywood has tried to stick him into. Hutcherson's motives for doing this where to break down the stereotype that even the "manly man" can come out and say that being gay is alright. The idea that it is more manly to be comfortable with your sexuality and not feeling the need to defend it all the time. To be comfortable with who you are or what you personally believe in shows that you are far more of a man. Since the Hunger Games debut, just last week, it seems as though this statement has made no impact on Josh's career. Many of my friends and co-workers urged me all to see the flick, without even knowing that this interview had happened. It seems to me that most people are indifferent to his statement, which would not have been the case ten years ago. It is refreshing honesty. Do I ever think Josh will have a gay affair ? Maybe, probabaly not. But I appreciate when anyone admits that they do not know what tomorrow will bring. However, Hutcherson's statement can also allow people to belief the myth that homosexuality is still a choice. Because through this interview he contends to it as being a possibility in the future, it makes it seem as if it would be an article of clothing he could put on or off, not a complete change in his lifestyle. 
However, it is still so rare for men to be discussing sexual fluidity and the spectrum. Let alone that they could fall somewhere on it that isnt the straight end. Society, as we all know, gives men particurarly, good-looking young men like Josh, little room in terms of orientation. It's either straight or gay. No leeway. Almost as if bisexuality is a pitstop before gay city. "Oh I thought a dude was attractive". The automatic response is that he would be gay. But it does not work in such a cinch manner. Bisexuality is real as anything, and so is the spectrum. Humans have never fit well into boxes. Never have or ever will.