Following the Aug. 8 birth of his son Parker, singer Clay Aiken is following through on a promise he made to himself as a new dad: to publicly acknowledge that he's gay.

"It was the first decision I made as a father," Aiken, 29, tells the upcoming issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday. "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."

Aiken says he expects the news may overwhelm some of his fans. "Whether it be having a child out of wedlock, or whether it be simply being a homosexual, it's going to be a lot," said Aiken, who returned to Broadway last week as Sir Robin in Monty Python's Spamalot.

He adds 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."

How He Came Out to His Family

The born-again Christian singer also reveals how he told his mother Faye he's gay four years ago. After dropping off his younger brother Brett, who was being deployed to Iraq, at Camp Lejeune, "I started crying in the car," Aiken remembers. "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."

So what was his mom's reaction? "She started crying. She was obviously somewhat stunned. But she was very supportive and very comforting." Even now, Aiken admits, "She still struggles with things quite a bit, but she's come a long way."

As for his own child, Aiken tells PEOPLE that Parker - who was conceived via in vitro fertilization with his best friend, music producer Jaymes Foster - will be raised in an environment that is "accepting and allowing him to be happy."

Says 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."

For the first photos of Parker and more of Clay's deeply candid interview about fatherhood, coming out, and his message for the Claymates, pick up the upcoming issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

xtinad wrote:

---

How is calling Latingirl an "asshole" blaming her for the whole thing? I did not blame her for anthing, merely expressed an opinion. Who said Kelly fans started anything? This is the Clay thread why bring Kelly up at all!! I am sure it was a hard thing for him to "come out" and I admire him for doing so. Maybe it's a good thing he will lose all those wacko clayfans, make room for normal fans. Clay being gay does not diminish his talent one iota nor my support and appreciation for his talent, and I believe I have expressed before it makes no difference to me. It has always been the six foot gorilla in the room that no one talks about imo.

Because mates have been calling me names and sending sick PM's because I always said he was gay.

SO FUCK OFF!!!!!

http://clayaiken411.blogspot.com/

Let me begin by writing how proud I am of Clay Aiken for coming out. It's a difficult thing to do for anyone let alone someone who is famous.

Clay came out for the right reasons. He went back to the values that he espoused; honesty and integrity- values he hopes to instill in his son.

Some have called or emailed me asking if I feel vindicated. For me, this isn't about vindication. The days of me seeking such have past. This is about Clay Aiken and what this means for him. Today, Clay Aiken has just had that 10 ton weight lifted from his shoulders. He doesn't have to hide or live in fear of anyone knowing his secret. He can be happy living openly and honestly and for me this is what's most important.

As a gay man, I know what Clay is experiencing right now; a sense of relief- almost a feeling of re-birth, and fear- the fear of not knowing how some will react. And without a doubt he is feeling a sense of shame; not for being gay, but for lying in the past. I know, I've been through it; facing those who you looked in the eye and said, "no, I'm not gay". Each of us have our own reasons for lying about our sexuality, for me it was fear of not being accepted and how people would judge me. I'm certain that is the primary reason for Clay's past denials.

I hope that Clay fans will forgive Clay and accept him. I hope that they will continue to stand by him and not judge him- not just because of his sexuality, but for not admitting to it. Forgiveness is one of God's greatest gifts to us. I hope that his fans will use that gift to forgive him and to support him.

Posted by John Paulus

grumpypuppy wrote:

---

ILovegreeneyes wrote:

---

xtinad wrote:

---

Latin girl you are an asshole.

of course Latin is an asshole....

X

YEAH!!!!!

CLAY LOVES ME!!!!!!

I'M AN ASSHOLE!!!!!!!

CLAY LOVES ASSHOLES!!!!!!


YUMMY!!!!!!!!

grumpypuppy wrote:

---

He would probably care about you even if you weren't an asshole. He seems to have a special place in his heart for people with mental disabilities.