Shortly before the release of "Channel Orange," Ocean published a passionate Tumblr post where he talked about his first love, who was a man.
"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. Sleep I would often share with him. By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless. There was no escaping, no negotiating with the feeling. No choice. It was my first love, it changed my life."
It was a big deal in the hip hop world, where many artists write songs with homophobic lyrics. Tyler, the Creator, who collaborated with Ocean in Odd Future, for example, has long had to defend himself from accusations of homophobia. Members of the hip hop community like Tyler, Jay Z, and Beyoncé voiced their support.
Publicly coming out was a transformative experience. "The night I posted it, I cried like a f---ing baby," Ocean told GQ. "It was like all the frequency just clicked to a change in my head. All the receptors were now receiving a different signal, and I was happy."
While he remains reclusive, Ocean has become more open about his connection to the LGBT community. After the June shooting of an LGBT nightclub in Orlando, he wrote an open letter on Tumble mourning the dead: "Many don’t see anything wrong with passing down the same old values that send thousands of kids into suicidal depression each year. ... We are all God’s children, I heard. I left my siblings out of it and spoke with my maker directly and I think he sounds a lot like myself."