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As the country is celebrating its independence, singer Frank Ocean is joining in on some festivities of his own.  The rising star R&B singing member of the hip-hop collective Odd Future — and Kanye West’s protegé — stepped out of the closet on Tumblr in a message that read, “My first love was a man.”

“4 summers ago, I met somebody,” he wrote. “I was 19 years old. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together.  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.”

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Ocean’s confession comes on the heels of the one that was made by journalist Anderson Cooper, who also recently admitted to being a gay man.

Ironically, Odd Future is known for being progressive but the group’s head honcho ‘Tyler the Creator’ has been attacked for writing violently anti-gay and misogynistic music. As a matter of fact, he was targeted by GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, last year who referred to him as “irresponsible.”  In the song “Goblin,” the word “fa**ot is used or variants there of, a total of 213 times.

Tyler did express support for his colleague on his Twitter account.

Ocean, who has worked with such A-listers as Beyoncé, Kanye and John Mayer, has a debut album, “Channel Orange,” dropping on July 17. In the wake of heightened conversations surrounding gender roles and sexuality, his announcement — and subsequent album sales — should speak volumes about society’s shifting opinions on the LGBT community.

There are those men who might not feel comfortable singing the lyrics of a love song knowing that they were penned for another man.

Time will tell….

Ocean, congratulations on taking a huge leap and keeping it real!  We wish you much success!