Arts & Entertainment
Frank Ocean defeats his father’s ‘gay slur’ $14.5 million libel suit
a California judge says Calvin Cooksey did not have sufficient evidence
(Screenshot via YouTube)
Frank Ocean came out victorious in the $14.5 million libel suit filed against him by his father, according to Pitchfork.
A California federal judge ruled that Ocean’s estranged father, Calvin Cooksey, hadn’t provided sufficient evidence that he had been defamed by Ocean’s 2016 Tumblr post.
Ocean wrote the post in the aftermath of the Pulse nightclub shooting in which he recounted a childhood memory at a restaurant involving his father.
“I was six years old when I heard my dad call our transgender waitress a fa*got as he dragged me out a neighborhood diner saying we wouldn’t be served because she was dirty,” Ocean writes. “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 filed the libel suit in February claiming that the post put him “in the middle of a terrorist attack on the gay community,” and “ruined future financial opportunities in the film and music industries.” He also called Ocean’s post a “publicity stunt in the wake of the Orlando attack.”
Ocean’s attorney Keith Bremer released a statement to TMZ saying “It was a sad case, but we are glad that it ended in Frank’s favor and that it is over.”
The Capital Pride Alliance presented the 2026 Capital Pride Honors at “The Audacity Brunch: In Full Fuchsia” at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. on Sunday, June 7.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Out & About
Congressional Cemetery hosts Gays & Graves
Daylong Pride celebration blends history, remembrance, art and community
Historic Congressional Cemetery will host the second annual “Gays & Graves: A Big Gay Festival” on Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m.
The event will feature pioneering activist Randy Wicker, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, and new public art installations and programs celebrating LGBTQ+ history. Gays & Graves is an official partner event of Capital Pride 2026.
This event is a daylong Pride celebration blending history, remembrance, art and community. Visitors can shop from LGBTQ+ and allied artists and makers, experience performances and interactive installations, and engage with programs exploring LGBTQ+ history and lived experience.
For more details, visit the cemetery’s website.
Baltimore Pride is underway, taking place from June 8-14.
The Pride Parade will be on Saturday, June 13 at 12 p.m. at Charles Street & North Avenue, followed by the Pride Block Party at 1 p.m. at Druid Hill Park. And then the Pride Festival will be held on Sunday, June 14 at 12 p.m. at Druid Hill Park.
There will be an array of additional events including: a fashion show, a “Suits and Sneakers” reception and a 5k race, among many other events.
For more details, visit Baltimore Pride’s website.
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