Frank Ocean made an uncharacteristic move over the weekend and included his fans in on an intimate personal moment: getting a new tattoo.
Ever since coming out as queer in 2012, the music superstar hasn’t mentioned his sexuality much publicly. He’s remained quite private about his personal life in general for that matter.
Related: Gay dad is furious when his son gets a tattoo — until he sees what it is
But on Sunday, Ocean took to his Instagram story to share his latest tattoo, and much to his followers’ delight, it has a pro-gay backstory to go with it.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Here’s how it looked:
The tattoo is a reference to a drawing by Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons and Futurama.
First published in 1983 as part of Groening’s Life in Hell series, the image depicts two male rabbits touching fingers.
Groening’s original comic features two pairs of rabbits — the male/male pair Ocean now has emblazoned on his thigh, and a male/female pairing.
Related: Here’s Frank Ocean’s Touching ‘Boyfriend’ Poem
Above the characters, text reads “Homo vs. Hetero. Which is Better?”
Between the couples, various “advantages” and “disadvantages” of being in a straight vs. gay relationship are listed, the gag being that other than “societal approval,” “persecution,” “share clothing,” and “breeding like rabbits,” there is no fundamental difference between them, an idea that decades later would get boiled down to #LoveIsLove.
Here’s Groening’s comic:
In the 36 years since Groening’s then-subversive statement, it’s nice to note that the dial has moved on “societal approval” and “persecution” in meaningful ways. But not everywhere.
While life for *some LGBTQ people has improved in many parts of the world, the fight to make these “differences” a thing of the past is far from over. From Brazil’s vehemently antigay new president to the active persecution of queer people in Chechnya to the unconscionable violence trans women of color face in America, there’s still a long road to equality ahead.
But the spirit of Groenig’s message remains just as true today. With so much talk about what divides us, our deep desire to love and be loved (and possibly pick up herpes along the way) functions in exactly the same way.
And as far as tattoo choices go, Ocean gets an A+ for combining an obscure pop culture reference, a pro-gay message, and cute bunnies.
iamru2
And ugly AF!
Jack Meoff
Better than the one he seems to be trying to cover up
Catholicslutbox
Bad tatts are bad.
Kanaka4127
…the music superstar hasn’t mentioned his sexuality much publicly.”
Not true. He gave a great interview in last month’s GQ.
Donston
Even there he was fairly ambiguous. It appears that he doesn’t want people to know too much and doesn’t want to commit to any identity. “Queer” is probably too equivocal. He doesn’t want to say he’s “bi” because right now he’s only interested in loving and truly being with a guy and has overall same-sex preferences. But he also doesn’t want to say he’s “gay” because too many people perceive “gay” as meaning “homosexual”, and he’s not absolutely sure what is in his future.
Ultimately, it is what it is. Not everyone has to go into a ton of detail or should feel pressure to embrace a particular word.
Kangol
Frank Ocean is such a talented cutie!
Dack1952
“No label” is a label…and it’s okay if they tout the line that I “just happen to be with a boy” people but I’m not “gay” (what could be worse?!?), but these guys, including gorgeous ones like Frank Ocean, feed the line that sexuality is all about choice, it can be changed through reading the Bible or attending conversion therapy or following other prompts–that it’s all about being trendy, etc…in some ways, these no labelists diminish us
Donston
For some people, yes, it’s about being “trendy” or about staying detached from “gay”. But for many others, that’s not the case. Fluidity does have some legitimacy for many people. People’s orientations can evolve over time. And people are often much more complex than an identity or who they have sex with. When you look at the broadness of the romantic, sexual, emotional, relationship spectrum and take in how different so many people are, the idea of sewing yourself to a particular identity becomes less appealing and feels less necessary.
I really don’t care about someone’s identity, especially when they’re in their teens or twenties. My thing is don’t exude shame and/or internalized homophobia, especially when it comes to who you love and who you want love from. I understand that everyone is different, everyone has their own struggles, everyone is motivated by different stuff, everyone has their own journeys and everyone has their own definition of what all these “labels” mean. Nonetheless, it is difficult for me to respect guys who like guys, have passions for guys, have strong romantic feelings towards guys, love male affections and prefer being in a relationship with a guy yet still continuously exhibit some form of shame. Frank at least appears as if he’s stepping out of that fear and shyness even if he’s still not much of an open book. However, it’s not his job to be anyone’s icon, and no one should feel forced to identify with anything. That just leads to resentment, division and manipulation.
Rex Huskey
i suggest coca butter on that ashy skin