Lance Bass of 'N Synch reveals he's gay.....

[Rowdyboy]

Lance Bass, band member of 'N Sync, says he's gay and in a "very stable" relationship with a reality show star. Bass, who formed 'N Sync with Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick, tells People magazine that he didn't earlier disclose his sexuality because he didn't want to affect the group's popularity.

"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," he tells the magazine."

He's from Clinton Mississippi and is a huge local celebritiy (says a lot about celebrities around here doesn't it!)...Wonder how this will affect his popularity?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/26/AR2006072600771.html

Here's Lehmkuhl

[Deja Q]

1. Uh-huh. And I care about this talentless, shrill sell-shill because...

:shrug:

[slackmaster]

2. I am Joe's complete lack of surprise

:nuke:

[cboy4]

3. GLBT DUPE

[rfranklin]

4. Does he have to keep repeating it again and again?

This is about the fourth time today that he's announced that he's gay.

[niyad]

5. what the hell is "n sync"?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

6. And I'm as surprised as I was with George Michael.

And Elton John.

And Ellen.

And Rosie O'Donnell.

[Ayesha]

7. In other news, shit is brown

Pretty much sums up what I thought of his group's "music", too.

He looks a lot like a guy I had a crush on in college. I suspect he was gay too, though he denied it. I just hope he's as happy now with a great man as I am with a great woman. :)

[Democrats_win]

8. Hope he has happiness. N'sync songs were from a happier time.

The late 90s. Yes, the songs were a superficial, but they expressed the joy of the last great American decade.

[Malikshah]

9. and this gay man screams in fear.....

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.......

[terrya]

10. I'm sort of surprised at some of the hostility here.

Lance Bass came out. Some weren't surprised, some were. And sure, it would have been nice if he came out during his time with N'Sync (no, their music wasn't my cup of tea, but so what?)

There's a interest, for lack of a better word, of GLBT people, for celebrities we think might be gay or lesbian to come out. Well, Lance Bass finally did. We all know that coming out may not be the easiest decision in the world. So, for Lance Bass to do it...all I can say is good for him.

[Rowdyboy]

11. Thanks Terry, I've also been a little surpised by the hostility....

The only reason I particularly bothered to post it is because he's such a local hero to the teenage Baptist girls here in Mississippi and I'm intrigued by how they'll respond. I think a lot of people just look for reasons to be offended or rude. When I come across a thread title I find particularly stupid I tend not the open it. Then I won't make unnecessarily hateful comments. Maybe its just me..... :shrug:

And, for the record, I know NOTHING about N'Sync except that they were a "boy band".

Again Terry, thanks. You've been a consistent friend to me for years-one of VERY few here.

[meegbear]

12. Well let's be fair here ...

As you pointed you, you yourself didn't know anything about who he was. Hey, neither did I, and that's part of why people, are taking a negative tact.

* He's not performing with N'Sync, so it's not like he's saying this while touring, like Melissa Etheridge.

* He's not a big name like Freddy Mercury, so people couldn't really care about him.

* Being in the premiere boy band, people would make caustic remarks about his sexuality. When Ron Halford of Judas Priest came out, people may not have known his name, but his status as one of the pioneers of heavy metal made his outing more sensational than Lance's.

And yes, I take the "a pretty boi in a boy band, what a surprise" attitude, and still do. But I don't think I'm being rude; just expressing my feelings on the matter.

[Rowdyboy]

13. I guess I'm over-reacting but the sheer hostility really struck me....

I promise, I had NO idea I'd elicit a negative response, much less the response I got on the two threads (there as another in GD that attracted similar comments). Its largely a generational thing-I'm 52 which is probably considerably older than 90% of the responders. Thanks for pointing out a few things that I really didn't consider. I'm proud of that fact that, though I'm dated, I'm still willing to learn.

Guess I just need to be MUCH more cautious in what I post.

[Jamastiene]

19. No, you don't.

Some people are just too far removed to know what it is like for those of us who don't live in gay meccas. When celebrities come out, it's a big deal to us, because it shows that gay people are just like everyone else. I, for one, am glad you posted about it, because I wouldn't have heard the news otherwise. I'm only on basic cable, live in a small town, don't take the local paper, and get most of my news on DU to begin with.

You post whatever you feel is interesting. If some people make nasty comments, ignore it. They just don't understand. Some of us do though, so you won't get any nasty comments from me on this topic. I replied to another person who said the hostility was perplexing. It perplexes me too.

[Meldread]

14. Yeah, I'm with you.

I don't get the hostility either. At first I thought it might be because he was considered a Republican or something, but I never saw any references to that. I'm clueless about the hostility as well, and I can certainly understand his reluctance to come out when N'Sync was a big name. (And for the record their music was never my cup of tea either.)

My first reaction to reading this was to chuckle, and say "Tell us something we didn't already know, Lance." My second reaction to reading it was to laugh and wonder, "Do the ladies know yet, and if they do what are THEY saying?"

For those of you in the dark N'Sync was a famous boy band of the late 90's. I'd say easily 75% of American Teenage girls (and some teenage guys as well) had a crush on at least one of the singers. I'd be interested in what his former band members are saying. I'd also be interested in if they knew he was gay, or if he kept it a secret from them as well.

...and he lives in Mississippi? Poor guy. :P

[idgiehkt]

15. it's not so much the hostility that bothers me,

it's the droll reaction. In know what my coming out was like and I'm happy for anyone who goes through that, because in the end it is such a relief. It's takes so much courage for a public figure to come out, especially one as young as he is because it could limit him. I am just elated for him as I am for any celebrity that comes out. As part of this community I feel gratitude to someone who does this. I have uber positive vibes about it all around, yet I get the feeling the only politically correct response to this announcement is either 'who gives a shit' or 'that's none of my business' or whatever.

I have to confess that I feel so alien in this particular GLBT forum because what is expressed here seems so utterly alien to the vibrant, energetic communities I've been part of in real life. It's like a queer 'Debbie Downer' focus group, and I don't get why.

[Jamastiene]

21. Yeah, it's no surprise, because I sensed it about him all along, but

I don't get the snarky comments people have made about it either.

[Jamastiene]

20. Justin Timberlake supports him and wishes him the best.

Here is a link to what Timberlake has had to say:
http://people.aol.com/people/article/0,26334,1219632,00.html

Also, Joey Fatone supports him "100%."
http://people.aol.com/people/article/0,26334,1219142,00.html?cid=recirc-top5-1-1219142


Yeah, the deep south is still a bad place to come out. It took real courage for him to come out, IMHO.

[Jamastiene]

18. The hostility toward Lance Bass by anyone in the glbt community

is unwarranted. He took the initiative to come out and maybe change a few more minds about us. If his coming out just opens 1 or 2 minds toward gay people, then he has done something great.

He could have just went on with his life and dissed us if he wanted to, but he decided to be honest and talk about it. Maybe if a few people who know nothing about us read what he had to say about knowing he was gay from a young age, it'll stop just one more teenager from having to go through the hell of "conversion therapy."

I didn't particularly care for the boy band music, never have liked any of the boy band music, but I say Bravo to him for talking about what it was like growing up and having to hide who he was and how hard that was.

[GodlessBiker]

16. I wish him well.

[jackpan1260]

17. No surprise there.

[Maat]

22. I wish him well also.

This PFLAGer's nine-year-old really enjoyed their songs when she was about 6 or 7; Hubby and I would listen to them too (and we'd all sing along).

O.K., it was hokey, but there's some fond memories there. Here's a salute to your courage, Lance, as we plan on heading out tomorrow morning to march with PFLAG in the San Diego Pride Parade!

[davidinalameda]

23. anyone coming out is brave

anyone who has been in the public eye for years is even braver

face it-we like to tear down our heroes as fast as we build them up

him being gay was another one of those open secrets-sort of like Rosie

can you imagine what her career would have been like if she came out while she still had her show?

it would have ben cancelled in a heartbeat

if he would have come out while N'Sync was still performing, he not only would have ruined his career but the careers of his bandmates

would any of you want to be responsible for that?

[Obamarama]

24. Good for him....

Can't stand his former band's music, but good for him. I don't get the snarky responses, either, Rowdyboy.