Clay Aiken officially comes out, says "Yes, I'm Gay."

Seriously.

Clay Aiken did not come out- he stated the obvious... 

But good for him, every celeb these days counts!

--

The Gays Of Daytime

I don't have much sympathy for stars who conceal, or - in fact - actively lie about their sexuality during the years of their peak fame, and then come out when they're a punchline.

When Clay was a "moral values" "christian" golden boy, he pretended to be too good for sex, thereby spreading the myth that one cannot be both gay and christian, gay and a good role model.

 

Duh!!

I guess it was eating away at him all this time and he had no other choice but to bust that closet door completely down.  Once you have admitted to yourself that you are gay, then you hit up a few family members and a selective group of friends, the rest of the world seems like nothing to actually come out and say "I AM GAY & WHAT!?! 

There have been so many people who have came out later on in life because of fear of losing their family and friends but mainly losing everything they have worked for.  Even though we all face some kind of discrimination, I can't imagine being Clay with that kind of pressure and still able to go on stage and sing his little red-haired heart out.  Then turn around in interviews, with that Southern Charm that drives gays and girls alike crazy and act like nothing is wrong and everything in the world is great, when he was suffering because he couldn't be his true self.  Many see it as a masquerade or the performance of a lifetime but the person he was portraying to be, is really the person that he is.  Except for now, there is no speculation needed, he put a stamp on it and put to rest all the rumors that sometimes made it difficult to actually be a 'Clay Aikens' fan or supporter. 

 He was carrying the weigh of the world on his little shoulders and finally he can rest easy because he is free.

We should be good gay folks and welcome our fellow brother, into our little fraternity and not worry about where he has been or what he has said in the past because most of us know, that being gay at times is such a personal and very private affair.  It can get worse or better with time but that has alot to do with you and how you feel about yourself at that moment in your life.  It seems when your lifestyle choices are putting your career on a stand still, that is just the worst feeling.

 We all know Clay has worked so hard to get to where he is and he has rose beyond all the hype of American Idol and it's 15 minutes of fame clause, to actually establish himself as a true all-around entertainer.  We have to be a little compassionate for him, despite the fact that he is a little dorky, in a 'Geek Squad' kinda way but still I find myself completely attracted to him and I can't deny the simple fact that the man can sing his little red-haired butt off.  I have always like those red-hair boys.     

I actually think every coming out is a good thing. The more the breeders get used to people coming out (even the "obvious" ones) is good for the gay community as a whole. I do not think what he did was particularly brave, but I do think it will ultimately be quite helpful for the gay community.

People magainze is everywhere. Every groccery store and pharmacy in the south and the midwest will be filled with the words "Yes, I'm Gay." Millions of housewives will read the article and probably rethink (even just a little bit) the way they view gay people. I especially think it is important to point out the power of his coming out as a gay parent.

Anyhoo, good for Clay. I just wonder how long it will be before GLAAD gives him an award. I think that is unneccesary, but probably inevitable.

Michael, I would have appreciated if you also included some of Clay's charity work in this article. In 2003, Clay launched the Bubel/Aiken foundation, which works to promote the inclusion of children with special needs into the community. Clay has also been involved with UNICEF since 2004. I know he also helped raise money for Broadway Cares this year.

(Since you mentioned the tabloid stuff, it's only fair to mention some of the good things he's done.)

I'm wishing Clay all the best with his life. He's a good hearted guy who treats people kindly. I know some people will look down on him for not being out earlier, when they felt it was always so obvious. But, I don't know that he necessarily lied. Even if he did know his orientation before now, if he hadn't fully accepted it himself, then it wouldn't have been the time to talk about it to the world. 

I think some will accuse Clay of implied homophobia because he had always talked about being Christian while avoiding saying anything about gay people. But, he's not a malicious person, and he's never encouraged hate of any kind. I hope he won't get too much negativity directed his way. I'm sure he just wants to continue living his life, making music, supporting his charities, and raising his beautiful, beautiful child. I hope people will let him enjoy his life in peace.

It's a big step for him on a personal level as it was for all of us who are out, but let's face it Stevie Wonder could have told Clay he was a big mo. Now let's see what Ricky Martin and his surrogate born twins have to say.......

Man, i totally didn't see that one coming! haha j/k.

Good for you, Clay!

 

Remember in the span of a few weeks when Mark Foley, Ted Haggart, T.R. Knight and Neil Patrick Harris all came out at once?  Today Lindsay Lohan supposedly confirmed her relationship with Samantha Ronson on "Loveline" as well.  All this, plus a major McCain advisor, too!  Quoth the Chinese: "May you live in interesting times."

Congrats Clay--enjoy the sun on your skin.  It feels good to get out of the darkness.

afhickman

"The mountain has wings."

Welcome into the fold, Clay.  One thing's for certain, you won't want for baby sitters!

"Fans very nearly missed their chance to see the future pop star when he failed to make it into the show's round of 32."

 

Correction. He did make it into the top 32, his bad luck was to be in the same group of 8 as Ruben and Kim Locke. Those three ended up the eventual winner, runner up and 3rd place of the season. He is currently starring in Spamalot on Broadway reprising his Sir Robin role.

I say give the boy his due. So many gay men don't come out until they are much older and more established, if ever. He's a cutie and so is the baby. 

There's a short teaser at People's website which quotes Clay saying he came out to his mom in the car four years ago after they dropped his brother off before a deployment to Iraq.  Maybe more important, it also says she's still struggling with it.

I'd hope the article has some depth and answers questions like why now and so on.

No, not as Mama Rose, or Baby June, or Louise -- but as one of the strippers. Why?

 

"Ya gotta have a gimmick," that's why. Clay's "coming out" is nothing more than gimmick designed to keep him "in the public eye" and therefore "viable" in a post-NPH world. It has nothing to do with Gay Pride (an alien concept to Clay.) Or Gay Anything Else.

 IOW --

"Once i was a scheppa, now I'm Miss Mazeppa!" 

And now what of the Ckaymates? Mass suicide perchance?  

 

Anyone else notice that nowadays whenever a celeb opts to come out it's on the cover of People, rather than in gay rags like the Advocate?

While it's nice that Aiken has finally opted to stop insulting everyone's intelligence with blatant concealment of the obvious (et tu Ricky Martin?) I do wonder about the way the phenomenon now works.  People seems to be the official vehicle for the "I'm Gay" cover story, which leaves me wondering if the motives are really pure, or if it's just a way for B-list list celebs that are falling down to the C-list to generate some publicity.

Still, it has entertainment value.  I remember that right up until the day Lance Bass's People cover came out that there were still fans on various message boards adamantly insisting that he was straight and that anyone suggesting he was gay was a loser.  Talk about eating crow.  However, I'm left wondering how long this can go on, and how many more "I'm gay!" covers People is going to be willing to do.

Breaking news.  Clay comes out as gay and the pope comes out as Catholic.  Shockers.

It's convenient to come out when your career is in the toilet and you need the extra publicity to get back into the public eye. 

The People report includes Clay relating that his mother was surprised when he told her he is gay.

To quote Karen Walker: "What is she, headless?!"

There's always a chance for a career comeback, but putting yourself in the public eye as gay isn't the smartest choice to attempt it. That's why I sincerely doubt any body that's come out so far has done so primarily for publicity. A hot chick saying she's bi? Sure, but a man coming out as gay? No way. That's a mark on your permanent record so to speak. Unfortunate, but true. And it's so much easier to make your comeback on reality t.v. these days.

Clay is going to lose a significant amount of scarily devoted fans behind this. Fans that bought his albums and went to his shows no matter what. A lot of people don't like him, and this isn't going to make them like him more, but less. His fans adored him though, so no, I don't see how this was in any way a publicity ploy. Yeah, he's on the cover of People-so was that guy they think murdered three wives...so what.

Despite the lovely old chestnut, any publicity is not good publicity, as I'm sure the Dixie Chicks and many others would agree.

 

Hmm...I just reread this and I hope it doesn't come off that I'm saying he shouldn't have come out. I thinks it's terrific that he did, I'm just trying to say I doubt he and his publicist were thinking it'd be a good career move.

I don't think it was a career move. I certainly agree he might lose fans, but at least he can be himself! I'm proud of him. And who knows? For Lance Bass it actually helped to endear him to fans and bring him back into the public eye.

I don't think it should be a publicity stunt...but if it happens to help their careers, then good! It's about time people began supporting this kind of openness!

I admit, I was a bit disappointed to see Clay actually DENY being gay back in that Rolling Stone interview.  I would have respected him more had he just not said anything at all.

But you know what?  I've learned that it's not fair for any of us to judge someone else's journey.  He was thrust from being a nobody in one of THE most homophobic areas of the country to a superstar, and everyone wanted SOMETHING from him.  He did his best, made some mistakes, but this interview seems to indicate a deep maturity has settled in.

Clay clearly made peace with his sexuality years ago, if it's been four years since he told his mother.  There's something to be said for him coming out now. 

I have to laugh at those that think this is somehow tied to him trying to "reignite his career."  What career?  He had one hit, the rest of his success has been based on concerts attended by legions of middle-aged women in denial.  How could this POSSIBLY help his career?

I take him at his word, he did it so that he could live an honest and authentic life for his son to look up to.  That's admirable and I respect him for that.

I only heard about Clay Aiken in Jeff Dunham's dead terrorist number (which I thought was really funny but anyway that's off-topic) a while back so I don't know the guy, I don't even know why everybody thought he was gay.

But I think that it's great that he came out in his own term, when he was ready and prepared. Don't you think that it's better to do it that way instead of answering to a question he has been asked a thousand times, just because he's just sick of being asked ?

Who cares if he "stated the obvious" as long as he did it when he wanted and how he wanted ?

Every coming-out, celebrity or non-celebrity, is important. And as belated as it might be, Clay Aiken finally did it. Good for him. It couldn't have been easy, especially if he was raised very religiously and didn't want to disappoint his mom. But the fact that it's on the cover of People magazine, a nationally recognzied publication, can be only a positive thing. I'd be curious to know what Kathy Griffin, who jokingly referred to him as ''Gay-kin,'' has to say now. I'll add something to what Bountiful said about what Aiken has done for charity. On Sunday, the Broadway Flea Market auctioned off VIP seats and a backstage visit with Clay Aiken in ''Spamalot.'' It raised $10,000, the highest bid of the auction, and it all went to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Bravo!

I think it is kinda sad really. Deep down, he knew he was gay and he has been leading this woman around who is probably in love with him, pretended to love her and now he comes out to the world. Good he came out, but i do not applaud him having a kid with a woman who loves him in a way that he cannot love her back. It is wrong to do that and we (personally) should not be celebrating something that has brought harm to the mother of his child.

That's certainly more than Liberace or Paul Lynde ever did.

But Kathy Griffin just lost her source for comedy material! 

LOL!!

 

Congratulation to Clay. . .

 

Tom

 

 

Now it's Lindsey Graham's turn.