Frank Ocean has beaten a $14.5 million libel suit filed by his father over a 2016 Tumblr post in which the musician claimed his dad used a gay slur.
A California federal judge ruled on Tuesday that Ocean’s father, Calvin Cooksey, had not proved he was defamed by the post, according to Variety.
The post was written in the aftermath of the Orlando nightclub shooting in June 2016. Ocean tied the shooting to a family memory involving his father:
“I was six years old when I heard my dad call our transgender waitress a faggot as he dragged me out a neighborhood diner saying we wouldn’t be served because she was dirty.
“That was the last afternoon I saw my father and the first time I heard that word, I think, although it wouldn’t shock me if it wasn’t.”
Cooksey sued Ocean for libel in February for $14.5 million, saying the story is a lie and that the singer is “us[ing] his father as an instrument for personal connection in order to sell records,” according to Rolling Stone.
Cooksey told the magazine he has “never discriminated against anyone transgender or heterosexual or homosexual.”
He also called his son “a scam artist, a fraud and a hypocrite,” adding that the Tumblr post was just a “publicity stunt in the wake of the Orlando attack.”
The judge didn’t agree, ruling in Ocean’s favor from the bench, with a full written decision expected later this week.
Ocean’s attorney Keith Bremer released a statement to Pitchfork that seemed more somber than celebratory.
“It was a super sad case,” Bremer said. “I am sorry that my client had to go through this and am glad that we could bring closure.”
The full Tumblr post that started the suit appears below.
(Photo: Tumblr)
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Kirk Cameron
During an interview with Piers Morgan, the "Growing Pains" heartthrob who transitioned from a "teen-idol-atheist in Hollywood and became a devoted follower of Jesus Christ in the middle of [his] career" explained that he believes homosexuality is "unnatural... I think that it's detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization." On the issue of marriage equality Cameron remarked, "Marriage was defined by God a long time ago. Marriage is almost as old as dirt, and it was defined in the garden between Adam and Eve -- one man, one woman for life till death do you part. So I would never attempt to try to redefine marriage. And I don't think anyone else should either. So do I support the idea of gay marriage? No, I don't."
Mel Gibson
In recent years, Gibson has become better known for his public tirades -- which have included racist, misogynistic, and anti-immigrant slurs -- than he has for any of his movies. But The Advocate cites a 1991 interview Gibson gave to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, in which he spoke about gay men:
"They take it up the a** ... this is only for taking a s***," he said at the time. "With this look, who's going to think I'm gay? I don't lend myself to that type of confusion. Do I look like a homosexual? Do I talk like them? Do I move like them?"
Gibson is also believed to have strongly counseled Heath Ledger against taking the role of Ennis Del Mar in Ang Lee's Oscar-winning film "Brokeback Mountain."
Victoria Jackson
The former "Saturday Night Live" star and now tea party activist sparked national furor when she slammed the hit show "Glee" after it featured a kiss between two gay characters in a column for WorldNetDaily. In the column, Jackson wrote in response to an emotional, long-awaited kiss between Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Blaine (Darren Criss). "Did you see "Glee" this week? Sickening! And, besides shoving the gay thing down our throats, they made a mockery of Christians - again! I wonder what their agenda is? Hey, producers of "Glee" - what's your agenda? One-way tolerance?" She later appeared on "Showbiz Tonight" to clarify her thoughts. "Well, it doesn't matter what I think," Jackson said. "What matters is what the Bible says. And I'm really concerned about our country because immorality is, well, let's see: secular humanism rules the airwaves, and it's stealing the innocence away from this whole generation of children. My daughter is a teenager and I can't find any show that she can watch." With that diatribe, Jackson was asked, based on her remarks, both in the column and in the interview, whether she was homophobic. "That's a cute little buzzword of the liberal agenda," Jackson smirked. "Basically, the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin."
Cee Lo Green
The singer and "The Voice" co-host lashed out on Twitter after a Minnesota music editor gave an episode of the hit series a lackluster review. He tweeted: "I respect your criticism, but be fair! People enjoyed last night! I'm guessing you're gay? And my masculinity offended you? Well f--k you!" As E Online reported, Cee Lo attempted an apology on Twitter, writing: "Apologies gay community! What was homophobic about that? I said I was guessing he [was] gay which is fine but its nice to [know] what u think of me." The comment was deleted shortly thereafter.
Isaiah Washington
It was no laughing matter when "Grey's Anatomy" actor Washington referred to co-star Knight as a "faggot" during an on-set argument with Patrick Dempsey. Though Washington later denied using the word backstage at the 2007 Golden Globes, Knight said he was inspired to come out publicly after hearing his co-star use the word. "I've never been called that to my face," he told Ellen Degeneres. "So I think when that happened, something shifted, and it became bigger than myself." Washington was fired from the show shortly thereafter, but said he believed racism had been a factor in his dismissal, and claimed that Knight had manipulated the controversy.
Donald Trump
In 2011, Trump compared the legalization of marriage equality to his reluctance to use a new kind of putter during golf, according to The New York Times. "A lot of people -- I don't want this to sound trivial -- but a lot of people are switching to these really long putters, very unattractive," he said. "It's weird. You see these great players with these really long putters, because they can't sink three-footers anymore...I have so many fabulous friends who happen to be gay, but I am a traditionalist."
Roland Martin
The CNN analyst was slammed for remarks he made during Super Bowl XLVI. Martin, who was actively tweeting throughout the game, poked fun at men who may have liked David Beckham's H&M underwear ads. He wrote that "real bruhs" would not purchase underwear advertised by Beckham, and that people should "smack the ish out" of a male supporter of the ad. In condemning his comments, GLAAD cited earlier statements by Martin, such as a column in which he said that his wife has "counseled many men and women to walk away from the gay lifestyle, and to live a chaste life," to say that his latest tweets were part of an anti-gay pattern. He later responded to the backlash, noting, "I was not referring to sexuality directly or indirectly regarding the David Beckham ad, and I'm sorry folks took it otherwise. It was meant to be a deliberately over the top and sarcastic crack about soccer; I do not advocate violence of any kind against anyone gay, or not."
Chris Brown
Exactly how effective Brown's anger management classes were is questionable, given the series of homophobic, racially-charged tweets he sent out after rapper Raz, formerly of the group B2K, set him off. "@razb2k n---a you want attention!" he wrote. "Grow up n----a!!! Dick in da ass lil boy...Tell me this @razb2k!! Why when the money was coming in u won't complaining about getting butplugged! #homothug!!!" Later, Brown wrote, "I'm not homophobic! He's just disrespectful!!!"
Blake Shelton
No stranger to perceived homophobia, Shelton was heavily criticized after he tweeted, "Re-writing my fav Shania Twain song ... Any man that tries touching my behind he's gonna be a beaten, bleedin', heaving kind of guy." He later apologized for the gaffe via Twitter, noting: "Hey y'all allow me to seriously apologize for the misunderstanding with the whole re-write on the Shania song last night... It honestly wasn't even meant that way... I now know that their are people out there waiting to jump at everything I say on here or anywhere But when it comes to gay/lesbian rights or just feelings... I love everybody. So go look for a real villain and leave me out of it!!! The original lyrics are, "Any man of mine better walk the line/ Better show me a teasin', squeezin', pleasin' kinda time."
Adam Carolla
Carolla came under fire by GLAAD in 2011, after going on a shocking anti-LGBT tirade on a podcast for his radio show, asking, "When did we start giving a sh*t about these [transgender] people?" He also reportedly insisted the acronym LGBT should be dropped in favor of using "YUCK" instead. Carolla later apologized for the rant, noting, "I'm sorry my comments were hurtful. I'm a comedian, not a politician."
Soulja Boy
Though he later claimed his account had been hacked, Soulja Boy got heat when the following message reportedly appeared on his Twitter: "I'm gonna keep talking sh*t to these white f*ggots until they unlike my page. f**king weirdo stalkers!"
Tracy Morgan
The comedian came under fire for jokes he made during a stand-up act. Among the choice reported bits: "Gays need to quit being p**sies and not be whining about something as insignificant as bullying." On the possibility of his son being gay -- Morgan said he "better talk to me like a man and not in a gay voice or I'll pull out a knife and stab that little n**ger to death." Afterward, Tracy told the crowd, "I don't "f*cking care if I piss off some gays, because if they can take a f*cking d**k up their ass, they can take a f*cking joke." Later, he apologized in a statement to The Huffington Post: "I want to apologize to my fans and the gay & lesbian community for my choice of words at my recent stand-up act in Nashville. I'm not a hateful person and don't condone any kind of violence against others. While I am an equal opportunity jokester, and my friends know what is in my heart, even in a comedy club this clearly went too far and was not funny in any context."
Ronnie Magro ("Jersey Shore")
The "Jersey Shore" came under fire when "unseen footage" of the show surfaced, in which he used the terms "f**king faggot" and "f**king queer" during an altercation with an unidentified man on the Seaside Heights boardwalk. TMZ reported the reality star later tweeted an apology, noting, "I apologize to my fans, In the heat of the moment i said a lot of things i didnt mean and im very sorry."
50 Cent
The rapper was slammed after he tweeted: "Perez Hilton calld me douchebag so I had my homie shoot up a gay wedding. wasnt his but still made me feel better." He was also called particularly insensitive when he tweeted: "If you a man and your over 25 and you don't eat pu**y just kill your self damn it. The world will be a better place. Lol"
Donna Summer
With her danceable music and glamorous style, Donna Summer became an instant icon for the gay community during her 1970s heyday. So when she allegedly made a number of religion-inspired remarks about the gay community as well as HIV/AIDS during a 1983 performance, the "Queen of Disco" faced an immediate backlash. "It was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve," Summer was quoted as having said during the Atlantic City concert by the Village Voice. She is said to have also noted, "I've seen the evil homosexuality come out of you people... AIDS is the result of your sins. Now don't get me wrong; God loves you. But not the way you are now." She denied making the remarks for years afterward, calling the accusations "unjust and unfair." Summer noted in a letter addressed to members of ACT UP, "I did not say God is punishing gays with AIDS, I did not sit with ill intentions in judgement over your lives. I haven't stopped talking to my friends who are gay, nor have I ever chosen my friends by their sexual preferences."
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![During<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/03/kirk-cameron-piers-morgan-homosexuality-unnatural_n_1318430.html" target="_hplink"> an interview with Piers Morgan</a>, the "Growing Pains" heartthrob who transitioned from a "teen-idol-atheist in Hollywood and became a devoted follower of Jesus Christ in the middle of [his] career" explained that he believes homosexuality is "unnatural... I think that it's detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization." On the issue of marriage equality Cameron remarked, "Marriage was defined by God a long time ago. Marriage is almost as old as dirt, and it was defined in the garden between Adam and Eve -- one man, one woman for life till death do you part. So I would never attempt to try to redefine marriage. And I don't think anyone else should either. So do I support the idea of gay marriage? No, I don't."](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/aqYv2P0Cmj1jyJO23s_MiQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/55d4941f1700006e00567ec5.jpg)
![The singer and "The Voice" co-host<a href="https://twitter.com/#!/ceelogreen" target="_blank"> lashed out on Twitter</a> after a Minnesota music editor gave an episode of the hit series a lackluster review. He tweeted: "I respect your criticism, but be fair! People enjoyed last night! I'm guessing you're gay? And my masculinity offended you? Well f--k you!" As E Online reported, Cee Lo <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/cee_lo_says_sorry_outrageous_homophobic/248478" target="_hplink">attempted an apology </a>on Twitter, writing: "Apologies gay community! What was homophobic about that? I said I was guessing he [was] gay which is fine but its nice to [know] what u think of me." The comment was deleted shortly thereafter.](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/1Bgayj_LF60Wg4me_miW6A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/55d4941d14000077002e3562.jpg)
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