Frank Ocean Pens Emotional Essay in Wake of Orlando Shooting: 'Many Hate Us and Wish We Didn't Exist'
Frank Ocean always had a way with words.
The 28-year-old singer shared a touching note on Tuesday that addresses tragedies afflicting the LGBT community around the world, including last week's shooting at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, that left 49 dead.
"I heard on the news that the aftermath of a hate crime left piles of bodies on a dance floor this month," Ocean posted on Tumblr. "I heard the gunman feigned dead among all the people he killed. I heard the news say he was one of us."
The GRAMMY winner, who came out in 2012, went on to discuss the larger, ongoing battle for gay and trans rights.
"Many hate us and wish we didn't exist. Many are annoyed by our wanting to be married like everyone else or use the correct restroom like everyone else. Many don't see anything wrong with passing down the same old values that send thousands of kids into suicidal depression each year," he stated.
Ocean explained that he hopes that the "barbarism" and "transgressions" against the community are in reaction to "something better happening in this world," before concluding, "We are all God's children, I hear.
"I left my siblings out of it and spoke with my maker directly and I think he sounds a lot like myself," he continued. "I wanna know what others hear, I'm scared to know but I wanna know what everyone hears when they talk to God. Do the insane hear the voice distorted? Do the indoctrinated hear another voice entirely?"
Read the entire essay below:
On June 12, at least 49 people were killed and even more injured during a shooting during Latin night at Pulse nightclub in Orlando -- the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. You can find all of the names of the victims here.
Other musicians have reacted to the tragedy with similarly touching tributes, like Adele, who tearfully dedicated a show to her "soulmates" in the LGBTQ community. Watch in the video below.