In a recent episode of David Letterman’s Netflix show “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,” rapper Jay Z expressed how happy he was when his mother, Gloria Carter, came out to him a few months prior. “I was so happy for her that she was free,” confessing that he even wept during that tender mother-and-son moment.
That moment from the entire interview holds so much significance for the LGBTQ community. For starters, similarly to many fields like sports and politics, the hip-hop world somewhat thrives on stereotypical ideas of both masculinity and femininity. For example, to survive in their game, the male rappers insist they have to act tough while the female rappers tend to use their sexuality as their selling point. For an undoubtedly huge player in the business like Jay Z to acknowledge homosexuality and its complexities spoke volumes. It might even open the door for the hip-hop community to accept LGBTQ artists, such as Frank Ocean, one of the very few openly-gay hip-hop artists today.
Beyond societal judgement, there’s also the love aspect of being gay, which the rapper also touched on. Speaking from a straight guy’s perspective, Jay Z knew that the freedom his mom felt was not only about self-expression, but also her newfound ability to love another without restriction. He even noted that, through her tone of voice, his mother had trouble admitting she was in love with another woman.
For many LGBTQ people, the most difficult part is coming out because it’s about being honest about a part of your life that for years, may have made you feel ashamed. Even if in general, homosexuality and bisexuality are a lot more accepted now, it’s still difficult for people to come out of the closet. Many may have been told being gay was not acceptable at an early age. In contrast, by his reaction, Jay Z showed that he was enlightened to the gravity of being gay in this society. Consequently, if this multi-billionaire rapper can understand and accept the LGBTQ community, so can others—and here’s to hoping they do when their loved ones come out.
