More celebrities are open and out than ever before, which is so much different than even fifteen years ago. Lance Bass has a new interview with Yahoo Entertainment. Lance said if he would were to come out today versus when he did in 2006, things would have been different because this generation is more accepting. Lance went on to say that he has known he was gay since he was five. His managers encouraged him to stay in the closet while he was in NSYNC stating that his fans didn’t want to know about his private life. Lance has been married to Michael Turchin since 2014 and they welcomed twin boys in October. Below are a few more highlights from his interview with Yahoo!:
“Being in the entertainment industry, you get told certain things and they allude to certain things. No one ever flat-out said, ‘Listen, if you’re gay, you can’t do this,” Bass says. “But they would [say] things like, ‘You know, if you have a girlfriend, you can’t really talk about them’ and ‘Remember your audience, your fans out there. They don’t want to really know about your personal life.’ So that always to me was kind of a backhanded, like, ‘Look, we know you’re gay, keep it a secret, kid.'”
“Being in a boy band, I got called gay every single day that I was in the band. And it wasn’t because they actually thought I was gay,” Bass says. “It’s just because I was in a boy band. All of us got that. I definitely wasn’t singled out. I think all of us got it equally.”
“No one cares, you know? Everyone’s just like, OK, that’s just normal,” Bass says. “My niece and nephews, they were really little when I came out. I remember the first thing that they said … they didn’t understand it, they were like, ‘Why is this a big deal?’ [They] could not comprehend why people cared about us being gay and why it would be so big you put you on the cover of People. It really encouraged me to know that this younger generation is so accepting and they just, they look at it as kids. They don’t know it [as] any different. It’s just the reality of life for them.”
I know it seems like the younger generation is much more accepting, however there are way too many stories of queer kids committing suicide because of bullying. We still have so much room for improvement. I have spent the last few months watching Lil Nas X fight trolls and other celebrities because they feel offended about him being unapologetically queer. While the younger generation may be more open, the artists are also more bold and give zero f*cks about what people think.
I love that Lance is talking about his journey and I hope he knows fans would have accepted him either way, I know I would have. I appreciate celebrities being open about their sexuality because it helps those looking for examples. My favorite thing these last two weeks was Kal Penn coming out. I know his admission will help and encourage queer kids. Anyways, I applaud the boldness of millennials and Gen Z. I definitely will continue to support and cheer them on from my Gen X corner.
Photos via Instagram
I love following him on social media. Their babies are so precious.
I hope he’s right–I do think many kids now don’t care about sexuality the way it was when I was a teenager. I don’t have an accurate gauge though, because I was raised in a conservative, sheltered environment. But I DO hope that things are different now, and that people feel like they can be who they are without bullying or being ridiculed. I hope that being called gay as a derogative term has stopped.
That video of them with their babies is absolutely precious!!
I want for everyone to live their lives freely, and free from harm/bullying and being ostracized. No child should feel that they can only be free by suicide. No child should have to suffer and lose their lives.
In addition, I wish police departments across the US would take a harder stance on crimes, brutal and criminal, crimes against those that aren’t seen as humans. The DFW PD needs to get off of the donut fat a$$es and stop the killing of black transgender women. It breaks my heart and infuriates me. FFS, do you job!!
Those babies are so cute! I’m glad they are happy and in a good place.
I don’t know if generally it’s better only that more people are no longer playing the game of “Don’t ask don’t tell” and living their best life. the horrible homophobic people persecuting them still exist and they still teach hate to their children to treat anyone different as less than human.
I have a millennial son and a Gen Z daughter, and they make me feel good for the future.
Gen X who raised a Gen Z gay kid and he’s just incredible and gives me SO MUCH HOPE about the future. He’s trained to be an abortion doula and escort, and is incredibly political active and doing great things for his community in harm reduction and I couldn’t be more proud. I’m so lucky I got to raise him!!
Yes you are! Fantastic job, proud mama.
Thank you for raising such an intelligent, thoughtful and confident child! I love that he’s trained to be an abortion doula/escort. That’s a major show of awareness and support for women’s rights, something that many men just don’t understand or want to talk about.
@Southern Fried and @miranda
AWWWWW! Thanks so much for saying so! I am a VERY proud mama but don’t want to be an annoying one!!
I also meant to say in my comment that there has been a lot on twitter about the special bond Gen Z and Gen X have and that has DEFINITELY been my experience! My son took my Grateful Dead Tapestries and my husband’s old Wu Tang Clan posters with him to college and that made us both laugh a lot. Oh, and he’s started a Wicca coven! I mean, it’s HILARIOUS.
Those babies are beautiful. I have 3 teens (one to soon turn 20), and they have friends who are gay and friends who are trans. I agree that many kids from this current generation are very accepting and don’t judge. However, we all know that there is a lot of hate out there directed at the LGBTQ community. Every single day.
I very much agree with the suggestion that if homosexuality is quietly accepted as valid around a child they tend to grow up considering it normal, which is just as it should be because it IS normal.
My best friend is a genderqueer rapper/producer who makes LGBTQ+ friendly music who performs under the name Brian is Ze. Their first full-length album was called We Lurk Among You. My favorite song on it is Watermelon Elephant, but Puffed Up is about toxic masculinity and Polyolyoxenfree is about polyamory. The end of the latter turns into a rant about social responsibility and kills me every time I hear it.
Ten years ago they could not have performed gigs in dresses and heels. Things *are* changing, even if it isn’t as fast – or quite as safe – as we’d like.
@ terra, you are absolutely right!! If we raise our children to be open and accepting to everyone and to be respectful of them living their true selves, the world would be a much better place.
I applaud your best friend and I am so happy that he/she/them is able to make the music that they have wanted for so long. A longing in their soul to share their talent and to entertain!! It’s refreshing to hear that you have a best friend that can finally be free and not restrained anymore. Everyone has a right to live their life as they choose. Everyone else does, why do we think that we shouldn’t allow those who are different the same liberties?
He is surrounded by cuteness with his babies, his dogs, and his husband! How does he get anything done!?😍
@Oya, his twins are actually boy/girl fraternal twins