Singer Ricky Martin Comes Out, Admits He is Gay

Latin singer Ricky Martin is gay -- in his own words, he is "a fortunate homosexual man." He officially "outed" himself on his Web site Monday, acknowledging the rumors and speculation that had trailed him throughout his singing career in a heartfelt public letter to his fans.

Ricky Martin's music never appealed to this writer much, but on the plus side, it never repelled, either. With hits like "Livin' La Vida Loca" and "She Bangs!", I never had to worry too much about hearing Ricky Martin on the radio stations I preferred (classic rock, alternative rock, smooth jazz). I do admit to a certain guilty pleasure at seeing and hearing William Hung of American Idol fame perform "She Bangs!", mostly due to the incongruity of Hung and Martin. Still, the Puerto Rican singing sensation himself was entertaining on stage, those few times I saw him perform on television. And he was always surrounded by beautiful women, which was an enjoyable distraction, so all the rumors and speculation that I had heard over the years that Ricky Martin was homosexual were either put in doubt or relegated to the irrelevant (with the latter winning out more times as not). Ricky Martin -- gay? And why should I care?

But Ricky Martin cared. The listening and viewing audience did not know it, but he cared. On Monday, Ricky Martin took to his personal Web site, RickyMartinMusic.com, and told the world that he had been untrue to himself over the years. He said that writing his memoirs had placed him closer to his true self and that his twin sons, born in 2008, helped him make the decision to declare his homosexuality.

In his letter, Martin noted, "To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids where [sic] born with."

He said he had listened to his advisers and loved ones over the years tell him he would ruin his career if he said anything, and his fears and insecurities "became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sabotage." Understandable, given both the common social stigma associated with the homosexual community. And even though being gay usually wasn't a prerequisite for failing in the music industry, it was extremely rare that a gay artist admitted his homosexuality before becoming successful (Elton John, Pete Townshend). It was even rarer that success came to an admitted gay artist, such as with the exceptional Boy George.

But he insisted that others were not to blame. Not coming out was his decision and burden.

Ricky Martin wrote in his declaration: "Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment and real contentment. Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution."

That evolution began as a teenager in the Latin boy band Menudo, where he achieved his first touch with fame. When he grew too old to be part of the Menudo (Menudo is an ever-changing group of teen singers), Ricky Martin embarked on a solo career in 1991. After eight studio albums (five in Spanish) and a couple live recordings, Ricky Martin had achieved phenomenal worldwide success, selling over 60 million units as a solo artist.

But he did it "in the closet," as it were. And at 38 years of age, with the responsibilities of his fatherhood pressing upon him, he felt the need to "come out."

He concluded his Web site letter: "I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am."

And he is truly a fortunate man. Few men and women, gay or otherwise, have seen the kind of worldwide success he has achieved. It is simply shameful that he felt forced to hide his true self behind a façade, even though it is an understood reality and a common way of life in the gay community. No man deserves to live like that, suppressing their true nature in order to be accepted.

Perhaps now he can be part of a social evolution...

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Source:

RickyMartinMusic.com