More Details On Clay's Coming Out Revealed

As we reported yesterday, Clay Aiken finally came out of the closet. Today, People magazine has released some excerpts via its Web site from the magazine's October 6 cover story with Clay Aiken in which he comes out of the closet, and while it's hard to believe that Clay's confirmation of what we've all known for years would come as a shock to anyone, the star is concerned that the "revelation" could overwhelm some of his fans.

"Whether it be having a child out of wedlock, or whether it be simply being a homosexual, it's going to be a lot," Clay says.

Seriously, only the most in-denial Claymate didn't already know that Clay was gay!

Clay goes on to tell People that he never intended to lie to anybody and that if some of his fans do decide to ditch him, he hopes they don't leave hating him.

Note to Clay: If any of your fans dump you for being gay, they aren't worth worrying about. My guess is that most of Clay's fans will be happy for him now that this weight is off his shoulders. As much as I've poked fun at the guy over the years, I am glad for him. Living in the closet, especially when you are a public figure whose sexual orientation is constantly questioned, has got to be stressful!

While closeted celebrities come out for a variety of reasons, Clay says he decided to admit to being gay for the benefit of his baby son Parker Foster Aiken, who was conceived with his friend Jaymes Foster through in-vitro fertilization. "It was the first decision I made as a father. I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things," Clay tells People. "I wasn't raised that way, and I'm not going to raise a child to do that."

While Clay "wasn't raised that way," he did hide his sexual orientation from an enquiring public for years.

He came out to his mother four years ago, telling her just after they dropped his younger brother Brett off at Camp Lejeune prior to his deployment to Iraq. "I started crying in the car. It was dark. I was just sitting there, thinking to myself. I don't know why I started thinking about it…I just started bawling. She made me pull over the car, and it just came out," Clay shares.

Asked how his mother reacted, Clay tells the magazine, "She started crying. She was obviously somewhat stunned. But she was very supportive and very comforting. She still struggles with things quite a bit, but she's come a long way."

If you want the full story of Clay's coming out, buy the issue of People that goes on sale this Friday.

Just this morning, GLAAD president Neil G. Giuliano issued a statement regarding Clay's decision to come out. "We congratulate Clay for making this decision and for setting an example for others and his family. As we're seeing, more and more gay people, including celebrities, are living openly and honestly," Giuliano says, "and this has tremendous impact in terms of creating awareness, understanding and acceptance."

Do you think that Clay finally coming out will indeed have an impact in terms of creating awareness, understanding and acceptance, or was any positive impact that could have come out of this blunted by the fact that Clay waited so long to share the obvious?

Images courtesy Getty

Comments

[mary and judy]

Can't this JERK Clay Aiken afford to send his younger sibling to college instead of being deployed to that horrid area, IRAG?
Where does all her money go?
TOO, pay off surrogate mothers, she sounds like Michael Jackson, I hope he doesn't molest kids as well, I know he worked with handicapped children.?????

[alban]

Mary and Judy: Get a life. Why the hell would you think he molests kids just because he's gay? You've obviously a lot to learn.

Also, learn to write and spell English...you refer to Clay as "her" and 'she" - and you can't spell Iraq. As for his brother going to the horrible war in Iraq, that's his choice....there's no military draft, so sending him to college wouldn't do a thing.

[now99]

I'm SHOCKED - SHOCKED!! dooww

[Logan DeKalb]

Mary and Judy, I would just like to thank you for throwing whatever shred of respect I used to have for lesbians RIGHT out the window! How could you be so .... ehh .... RETARDED?! This article was supposed to be about Clay's coming out to the free world (finally, I know) and you turned it into, "he molests kids." You're both idiots. Go cut down a tree, or ride your Harley's or something.

[Gabriela]

I think it's awesome he's had the courage to come out publicly. How many other closeted queer people are out there hiding? They could help the cause of civil rights by coming out and shocking, literally, the hell out of extremist right wingers who love them. Cheers, Clay! And best wishes from one queer parent to another!

[Devo]

Wow, with responses like some of these no wonder so many are afraid to come out, and this from the so-called gay community. Image the abuse from the homophobic world.

[Eric Swanson]

It is about time. Clay is hot

[Devo]

Wow, with responses like some of these no wonder so many are afraid to come out, and this from the so-called gay community. Image the abuse from the homophobic world.

[Bhajune]

Good for you Clay. It is about time to come out of the closet and be real to yourself and to your fans. Living a lie is like living in hell.

[Stuffed Animal]

Clay Aiken is not "queer"! He is a Gay man. One of the reasons more celebrities don't come out of the closet is because they're afraid of being labeled "queers" in the media. It is downright mean to call someone "queer" just because his gender identity and/or sexual orientation is different from the majority of men. Most people have dogs and cats as pets. Some people have ferrets. Does that make ferret lovers "queer"? Get real! Let's stop slapping derogatory names on our fellow human beings, and realize that we have a very narrow concept of normalcy.

[Reddeath064]

I have decided to no longer be a Clay fan. He now has a child because of covering up and living a lie... That poor kid is not going to know what to make of a father who lied for so long for no reason. "Do as i say not as i do." I love the music clay but really you have shamed yourself by the lies and games. I guess I should respect that your famous like that has anything to do with morals and ethics.. (LOL)...And I understand not freely giving the IM GAY news but he was point blank asked many many times about the truth he flat out lied. That's not a role model I want my kids taking after. Saying no comment when was asked about his gayness would have been better than a bold out and out lie pardon the pun.

[Keith]

He lied. GET OVER IT! We all lie. How many of us lived in the closet for years? Everyone has their own way of handling the issue. When your in the public eye and have a career that depends on screaming girls who need the illusion that your single and available for them, lets see how you deal with it. Being gay is just part of our life. Its not the major defining factor.

[Jeff]

It has always amused me how the gay community thinks it's everyone's business what other gays do in our bedrooms. We fight for rights and freedoms but work just as hard and tirelessly to take those same rights and freedoms from gay celebs.

It's NEVER been our business if Clay is gay or not. Who cares? He doesn't bear some special responsibility to come out because he's famous. All celebs should do that in their own time...just like the rest of the gay community.

I don't blame him for lying about his sexuality. I did for many years. He was only protecting his privacy. Clearly a lot of people need to get a life.

As for him having a child, I think it's great! He'll probably be a wonderful dad. Gay people should get over it!

[PAUL!]

Its funny how over the years clay aiken has developed into a fusion of ellen degenerous, rod stewart, kojo, and barry mannilo, yet still manages to look like a pixy.

[Pubicle]

What next? Will O.J. finally admit, dramatically "I did it!"

[RikkiDLTN]

Not that it didn't happen, but I've never read where he actually denied being gay when asked. In the one interview that I've read about, he more or less "tap-danced" around the subject by claiming that it didn't matter what his answer was, people were going to assume that he was gay anyway (which in my mind was a veiled admission), but and you know, he was right.

[Auggie]

I think it's great that Clay came out! Who cares when he did it, he did it when he was ready just like the rest of us. And everyone is like "no duh," just like most people to us when we came out! While we are on the topic of gay celebs......any chance Mario Lopez is gay & will come out? LOL

[VersatileVanilla]

I find it interesting that the gay community is so sure to tell someone how and when they should come out. What works for one does not work for another, the journey to coming out is a very personal one. Not that it is the same but it is like me telling someone how they should grieve for the loss of a loved one and not let them grieve and heal in their own way. I understand the journey he has gone on and wish him the best as a new father and support him on the new journey he has begun!

[Joey]

Good for Clay Aiken... Now I wish Tom Crusise and Brad Pitt finally come out too. We all know they are at least bi.

[Joe]

Clay had it harder than most of us. Where I only had my family and friends to come out to, Clay's coming out was to the public...world...and early on might have meant a loss of income and career. There was a lot more on his mind than just loosing a few friends here and there.

Now while I say that, I wondered why he didn't come out earlier at the time...but now that I look back on the situation and see what he had to loose...I can see the other side of things.

And BOO on the people on this post who say that he shouldn't raise a child because he lied for so long. That child will have an entire life of a Dad who's never lied to him. He doesn't give a crap what happened before he was born!

[Simply J]

It is amazing to me that a community that constantly fights the rest of society for equal treatment and not to be shunned for our differences can be so cruel to one of its own members. I have heard many negative things for years about Clay Aiken being in the closet from straights and gays. I even read comments here over the last few days stating "no one cares, it's not like he's attractive" and many others for his not coming out sooner. Is that what we've become? A society that will turn on their own because he did not "come out" on our terms? Come on, we are better than that.
For a bunch of people who protest, fight, and bitch about how crappy we are treated because we are misunderstood, we sure don't do a good job of supporting our own. I am far from being a fan of Mr. Aiken's music but I am proud of him for coming out on his terms after finding a reason that allowed him to feel comfortable with it. Not every gay person whether they are a public figure or the average joe feels the need to wear their gayness on their sleeve. It doesn't mean they are ashamed. It simply means they don't allow it to define them. Not all of us are willing wave a rainbow flag and give straight society the finger. I don't expect every gay person to do it just because I do. And I am no less proud of them for their decision.

[gustavo a soler]

Mr. Aiken is no role model for anyone; least of all the gay community. The first thing he should have done is apologized for all the tap dancing over the years. Every time he doged a direct question he was telling people is it not ok to be gay. The gay community should shun him as he shunned others like himself for years. Coming out the way he has is repugnant.
By the way, where is the mother of this child in all of this? Clearly not present at the People Magazine photo shoot. It turns my stomach that he used that baby on the cover.
Anderson Cooper clearly has class in dealing with his celebrity and homosexuality. Clay clearly has none whatsoever.

[Donald]

You know its hard enough to come out of the closet for any gay guy and then to be famous on top of all that its alot for one person to handle atimes I lyed for years before i told anyone i was gay people would ask me and i would say no i'm not gay i was protecting my self to this day its still not OK to be gay in the USA but it is better then befor and its not anyones right to ask if someone is gay, if thay are thay will come out when thay feel it is right and a closeted gay guy liying about his homosexuality is not wrong its a form of protection because lets face it there are still people out there that want to see all gays dead and people wonder way when we are in the closet we lie about being GAY. More power to you Clay

[Jill]

I support Clay One hundred percent! My Best Friend is Gay and from his struggles on coming out and everthing he has been through. I have always been there for him no matter what! So Clay Good Luck to you I love your music. And some people on here i am shocked at for things they have said! Being part of the gay community (Faghag) I pretty much know all the struggles gay and lesibans go through. Regardles of anything that goes on he is still part of the gay community and we need to stick togther to achieve the number ONE goal equal rights for the community. YOU ROCK CLAY!

[Tony]

Everyone should respect a decision made! How does it affect YOU? It doesn't, get over your self!

[Nai]

I just don't get it. So he's gay. You guys act like you know him personally. Now, does that mean everyone who's gay needs to start supporting him by buying all of his records?

Let him live his life how he wants it. We all knew it, fine. Now that it's out can we move on to more pressing topics.

[stef]

"While closeted celebrities come out for a variety of reasons, Clay says he decided to admit to being gay for the benefit of his baby son Parker Foster Aiken, who was conceived with his friend Jaymes Foster through in-vitro fertilization."

first of all, you admit sins, you admit when you're at fault, you admit that you broke something or wrecked the car. YOU DON'T ADMIT THAT YOU'RE GAY...
-----ADMIT:::confess to be true or to be the case, typically with reluctance.
there's no shame in being who you are especially when the world needs to see exceptional gay people.