(CNN) – In a move that he admits could cost him some fans, hip-hop artist Yitz “Y-Love” Jordan, considered “the first black Jewish MC,” has come out publicly as a gay man of color.
“I feel like I have wasted years of my life worrying that my ‘public reputation’ will be negatively impacted by my identity,” Jordan said in a statement. “Now that I’m over 30, I simply can’t care as much about what people think, despite the prospect of alienating the community I dedicated my life to as an artist and a man. My hope is it will open their eyes – and hearts.”
Although he’s now publicly talking about it, Jordan tells Out magazine in an interview that he’s “never been conflicted about my sexuality … Any conflicts that have come up in my life have come up because of other people’s homophobia. I’ve always known when to be in the closet and when not to.”
