Lance Bass has finally come out and admitted what the rest of us already knew, he is Gay! That’s a load off. It’s really to see Lance has accepted himself, and is at a point in his life where he can share who he is with the rest of the world. Hollywood Grind has some highlights from the Lance Bass People magazine “coming out” story. The issue will hit news-stands on Friday.
P.S. Lance Bass is dating Reichen Lehmkuhl, and he is hot.
Here’s highlights of what Lance had to say:
On Why He Came Out Now
- The main reason I wanted to speak my mind was that [the rumors] were really starting to affect my daily life. Now it feels like it’s on my terms. I’m at peace with my family, my friends, myself and God, so there’s really nothing else I worry about.”
On When He Knew He Was Gay
- “I’ve known my whole life. I always knew and dealt with it; it’s nothing that was confusing to me. I told myself, ’This is what you are. This is the way you were born.’”
On His Past Relationships With Women
- I love women. I’ve definitely, you know, been with women. And I’ve had great relationships with them where I was definitely in love. It’s just I grew to a point where deep inside I knew that I could never truly have a relationship with a woman. I don’t know if they ever suspected. It was never brought up. And it was so easy, especially being on the road, because you never got to spend much time together.”
On His Bandmates
- Some of the guys of course suspected because we were like brothers, so when you’re with someone that much, they’re like ’Why aren’t you hitting on women all the time and acting like a rock star?’ Because I was a good Christian boy, that’s why.
On How His Mom Found Out
- The worst part about it was my mom found out not from me. She found out on the Internet, and that’s what just killed me. She’s read an article about the rumors and stuff and she Googled and found all these things.
On His Christianity
- I still go to church. I’m still Christian. I was not raised in a Christian church to hate people. I was taught to love people and accept people. I know what I believe.
On Dating Reichen
- “I’m dating this person, which is very new and I’m loving it. We’re just taking it one day at a time, and slow, and very supportive.”
On Kids
- “I’m a family guy, so I would love to have a family. I definitely want to have my own but I also want to adopt for sure. I think it’s very important to find these kids homes.”
On Being Gay
- “I want people to take from this that being gay is a norm. People always say, ’Are you gay?’ and i say, ’No, I’m also gay.” It’s one of the many things that make me up. I was in a boy band, I’m used to people talking about me. It’s the people around me that I don’t want it to affect. But just seeing how my family has reacted, and everyone else, it just makes me so happy.”
Related article:
Lance Bass and Reichen Lehmkuhl Gay Rumors Get Louder
Read more of this article after the jump… |
“I knew that I was in this popular band and I had four other guys’ careers in my hand, and I knew that if I ever acted on it or even said (that I was gay), it would overpower everything,” says Bass, referring to bandmates Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake.
“I didn’t know: Could that be the end of ’N Sync? So I had that weight on me of like, ‘Wow, if I ever let anyone know, it’s bad.’ So I just never did,” he says speaking about his sexual orientation for the first time with PEOPLE.
Now, after years of keeping his personal life private, the Mississippi-bred, Southern Baptist-reared Bass, 27, is publicly revealing what he first shared with his friends, then his shocked family.
“He took years to really think about how he was going to tell everyone,” says his close buddy Fatone, 29, who was the first ’N Sync bandmate to find out Bass is gay. “I back him up 100 percent.” Adds Bass’s longtime pal, actress Christina Applegate: “I’ve always accepted him as who he is. It’s about his own serenity at this point.”
Having pursued acting, producing and – most memorably – space flight after ’N Sync went on hiatus in 2002, Bass now is looking ahead to new beginnings. He is in a “very stable” relationship with model-actor-Amazing Race winner Reichen Lehmkuhl, 32, and is developing an Odd Couple-inspired sitcom pilot with Fatone in which his character will be gay.
Mostly, though, he’s just enjoying the relief that comes with the culmination of a long, at times emotionally fraught journey.
“The thing is, I’m not ashamed – that’s the one thing I want to say,” he explains of his decision to come out. “I don’t think it’s wrong, I’m not devastated going through this. I’m more liberated and happy than I’ve been my whole life. I’m just happy.”
As for why he’s talking about this now Bass says, “The main reason I wanted to speak my mind was that (the rumors) really were starting to affect my daily life. Now it feels like it’s on my terms. I’m at peace with my family, my friends, myself and God so there’s really nothing else that I worry about.”
