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September 24, 2008 by BYT at large  Send to a Friend

Not to ruin anyone’s morning but there is a headline in today’s news that may shake up EVERYTHING YOU BELIEVE IN:

via (The all reliable source of) E!Online:

Clay Aiken is joining the ranks of the out and proud.

The unlikely heartthrob, whose Southern gentlemanliness has made the young’uns love him and their moms want to pinch his cheeks, has revealed that he is gay in an upcoming cover story for People magazine, on newsstands Friday.

So whether you’re saying “Huh?!” or “About time!” this is the new state of the Claynation.

“We can confirm that Clay Aiken and his son are featured on the next issue of People” the magazine (which, lets all remembrt ALSO outed Neil Patrick Harris and Lance Bass-ed) confirmed in response to questions about its leaked cover, which boasts the pullout quote: “Yes, I’m gay.”

(as America screams: “Goddamn straight you are gay! What took you so long?” in response-ed)

“It was the first decision I made as a father,” Aiken says. “I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn’t raised that way, and I’m not going to raise a child to do that.”

The 29-year-old pop star’s sexuality came under increased scrutiny when he admitted to fathering a child with fiftysomething Jaymes Foster, sister of famed music producer David Foster.

Parker Foster Aiken was born Aug. 8 in North Carolina, with Aiken writing on his blog that all families involved were “thrilled.”

In this week’s issue, the born-again crooner acknowledged that revelations regarding his sexuality may be difficult for some in his fanbase.

“Whether it be having a child out of wedlock, or whether it be simply being a homosexual, it’s going to be a lot,” he says.

Aiken, who last week reprised his role as Sir Robin on Broadway in Monty Python’s Spamalot, added however that he hopes his fans “know that I’ve never intended to lie to anybody at all. … But if they leave, I don’t want them to leave hating me.”

As for how his own family dealt with the news, the onetime American Idol runner-up admitted dropping the bomb on his mom four years ago when they accompanied his younger brother, Brett, to camp Lejeune before the latter deployed to Iraq.

“I started crying in the car,” Aiken recalled. “It was dark. I was 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.”

And while it took some time, he said his mom eventually learned to accept her son’s sexuality.

“She started crying. She was obviously somewhat stunned (!!!!!!!!!!!). But she was very supportive and very comforting,” Aiken notes. “She still struggles with things quite a bit, but she’s come a long way.”

The singer stressed that it was necessary for him to own up to what everybody kind of already knew for Parker’s sake, so his son can be raised in an atmosphere that is “accepting and allowing him to be happy.”

Said Aiken: “I have no idea if he’ll be gay or straight. It’s not something I’ll have anything to do with, or that he’ll have anything to do with. It’s already probably up inside the code there. . .No matter what the situation you’re in, if you’re raised in a loving environment, that’s the most important thing.”

How are YOU coping?

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