Some great Coming Outs

By now everyone knows that Anderson Cooper came out, which many people commented something to the effect of "Next up:  Sky is blue".  Even so, that he did meant a lot to me.  I respect Cooper more than almost any other news reporter.  He's brave, he's well reasoned, he digs into the story.  Honestly, I don't watch much TV  - almost none - but I still look for him on CNN.com.  What his coming out does for me is provide a role model, an example of honesty, and a statement that "Gay is not the issue.  Integrity, talent, hard work, courage, dedication are the issue."  I love Rachel Maddow, and for similar reasons.  I've long wanted Cooper to do this, and here we are.

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Is CNN becoming the "Gay Network"?  With Granderson, Lemon, and Cooper, it's starting to look that way.  Or maybe - in an environment where it's OK to be gay, more people come out.  Don't count on FOX to follow suit!

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On an entirely different media planet, R&B Singer Frank Ocean  came out.  I love R&B, and I enjoy some House, even though it's not the image most people might have of me.  I love the lyricism, the earthy sensuality, the rebelliousness, the rhythm, the playfulness, the poetry.  Not all of it - macho gangsta rap leaves me cold, and I hate any music which glorifies violence or hate, and there is a culture of machismo and sexism that I can not listen to.  Still, it's a big genre with room for infinite variation.  Rap is famous for homophobia, and R&B is a mixed bag - Ocean gives us a performer with great talent, great voice, and youthful energy.  I responded by buying a track on I-tunes, Novocaine, which is NSFW but will be perfect for me after a hard day of work.  His new album, not yet released, is expected to have lyrics that, for the first time, have him singing to "him".  Cool.