Arts & Entertainment
Tyler, the Creator may have come out on new album
the rapper has mentioned being gay for years

(Screenshot via YouTube.)
Tyler, the Creator might have come out as gay or bisexual on his latest album, “Scum Fu*k Flower Boy.”
The album was meant to be released in two weeks but was leaked, to the delight of fans, on Sunday night. But some lyrics raised a few eyebrows and had some people wondering if the rapper was coming out the closet.
“Next line will have ’em like ‘Whoa’ / I been kissing white boys since 2004,”the 26-year-old raps on the track, “I Ain’t Got Time!”
On the song, “Garden Shed,” Tyler, the Creator talks about hiding in a garden shed, a metaphor some think refers to being in the closet.
“All my friends lost / They couldn’t read the signs / I didn’t wanna talk and tell ’em my location / And they ain’t wanna walk / Truth is, since a youth kid, thought it was a phase / Thought it’d be like the Frank; poof, gone / But, it’s still goin’ on,” he raps. The mention of “Frank” has led to speculation that he is referring to his friend and fellow collaborator, Frank Ocean, who identifies as bisexual.
Tyler, the Creator has alluded to being gay or bisexual in the past. In 2015, he even tweeted that he had attempted to come out of the closet but the seriousness of the tweet was never confirmed.
I TRIED TO COME OUT THE DAMN CLOSET LIKE FOUR DAYS AGO AND NO ONE CARED HAHAHHAHAHA
— Tyler, The Creator (@tylerthecreator) April 13, 2015
Rolling Stone’s 2015 piece on Tyler, the Creator also wondered if his persistent gay jokes was actually a confirmation of his sexuality.
“For the past two days I’ve wondered, is Tyler actually gay? I cannot emphasize how much gay humor plays a role in the atmosphere around him. It’s like a continuous loop of the ‘You know how I know you’re gay?’ scene in ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’,” the article reads. “Never more than a few minutes pass without him saying he’s going to suck someone’s dick or him accusing someone of wanting to suck dick. At one point on the bus, he recalls sending nude photos to a group chat with his friends and no one responded. ‘My friends are so used to me being gay,’ Tyler says, ‘they don’t even care.’ I finally ask, Why all the gay humor? ‘Because I’m gay as fuck,’ he says, without a flinch. Seriously, are you gay? Are these repressed feelings? ‘No, but I am in love with ’96 Leonardo DiCaprio,’ he says. ‘I one hundred percent would go gay for ’96 Leo. Oh, and Cole Sprouse.’”
Tyler, the Creator followed up his proclaimed love for ’96 DiCaprio by tweeting a photo of the star captioned, “so beautiful my god.”
so beautiful my god pic.twitter.com/hSR0BRNkW5
— Tyler, The Creator (@tylerthecreator) February 25, 2016
At one point, he was rumored to be dating Kendall Jenner who jokingly tweeted him “apparently we’re dating.” He responded, “Not possible, we’re both gay.”
NOT POSSIBLE, WE’RE BOTH GAY https://t.co/xoCXLyThPv
— Tyler, The Creator (@tylerthecreator) August 16, 2016
His debut album “Goblin” received attention for its frequent use of homophobic slurs, with the rapper using the word “fag**t” more than 200 times.
The internet has been abuzz with speculation with some fans saying they believed all along that the rapper was not straight.
Tyler, the Creator coming out as gay is some of the least surprising yet very surprising news I’ve heard in a while.
— young old man (@_aspiringadult) July 10, 2017
Tyler been saying he was on some gay shit forever but we all thought it was trolling lmaooo. No wonder his earlier music was so homophobic
— tyrin ?️?️?️ (@TheGorgeousGoon) July 10, 2017
People acting surprised that Tyler, The Creator might be gay and I just keep thinking about this tweet from a few years ago pic.twitter.com/Ex9uLPpTxF
— Shane Ravello ?? (@ShaneRavello) July 10, 2017
I’m not surprised Tyler The Creator is Bi/Gay I’m just wondering why it took him so damn long to come out the closet when we all knew lowkey
— AWSHITKIDDIE! (@Kiddiedouchebag) July 10, 2017
tyler, the creator in 2011: uses word ‘faggot’ 213 times on debut album
tyler, the creator in 2017: comes out as gay#characterdevelopment
— Killa Cam (@CamonDash) July 10, 2017
Tyler, the Creator has yet to confirm or deny the speculation.
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.
The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.
Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.
Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.
The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”
“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”
“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”
The Washington Blade will update this article with additional reaction when it becomes available.
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

















Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.
The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.
Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.
“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”
Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.
Event Details:
📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026
⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP

