Lez Keep It Real

This week’s Come Out & Play post spotlights Lance Bass, former NSync member, aspiring astronaut and wanna be actor.

Lance Bass burst onto the pop scene with his smooth, baritone that often held NSync’s signature harmonies together like super glue. With their synchronized dance moves and titillating live shows (in which they never sunk to Ashley Simpson or Britney Spears standards by using a backing track I might add), it was easy to see why billions of weeping prepubescent girls, trillions of significantly sexually neglected housewives, and hoards of closeted lesbians (myself happily included) fell desperately in love with each and every band member.

Lance was billed as the shy one, since he was hardly animated in interviews and often let his harmonizing counterparts bask in the limelight while he stood contently in the background. He never spoke of girlfriends, conquests or otherwise. And, when asked, he made up the “qualities” he’d like to find in a woman or described the perfect date for prying teeny bopper magazines worldwide just for the mere fun of it.

Time passed, and Lance eventually grew out of NSync as did the rest of the group. He tried his hand at acting, and by tried I mean he gave it the ol’ college try. Then he revisited a long lost childhood dream of being an astronaut, went to space camp and was eventually detoured journeying to space because he couldn’t secure enough funding. Poor Lance. Where would he go from there? Maybe with nothing left to do but twiddle his thumbs and watch Justin’s solo career sore, Lance was left with only one option - face a sexuality he had been so carefully hiding like a secret stack of Playboys, or Playgirls in this case, under his featherbed.

I wasn’t there, nor was I in Lance’s head. But, knowing what I know about the wonderful world of coming out, I can assume he went through all of the key stages: denial, curiosity, fear, anxiety and finally, acceptance. I know the last stage to be true because Lance chose to come out last fall. And, I guess if you are going to come out, you may as well come out all the way. What’s that saying? Go BIG or go home.

Lance told his story to People magazine. How bigger can one go?

July 2006 ~

“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,” says Bass, referring to bandmates Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake.

“I didn’t know: Could that be the end of ’N Sync? So I had that weight on me of like, ‘Wow, if I ever let anyone know, it’s bad.’ So I just never did,” he says speaking about his sexual orientation for the first time with People.

Now, after years of keeping his personal life private, the Mississippi-bred, Southern Baptist-reared Bass, 27, is publicly revealing what he first shared with his friends, then his shocked family.

“He took years to really think about how he was going to tell everyone,” says his close buddy Fatone, 29, who was the first ‘N Sync bandmate to find out Bass is gay. “I back him up 100 percent.” Adds Bass’s longtime pal, actress Christina Applegate: “I’ve always accepted him as who he is. It’s about his own serenity at this point.”

Having pursued acting, producing and – most memorably – space flight after ’N Sync went on hiatus in 2002, Bass now is looking ahead to new beginnings. He is in a “very stable” relationship with model-actor-Amazing Race winner Reichen Lehmkuhl, 32, and is developing an Odd Couple-inspired sitcom pilot with Fatone in which his character will be gay.

Mostly, though, he’s just enjoying the relief that comes with the culmination of a long, at times emotionally fraught journey.

“The thing is, I’m not ashamed – that’s the one thing I want to say,” he explains of his decision to come out. “I don’t think it’s wrong, I’m not devastated going through this. I’m more liberated and happy than I’ve been my whole life. I’m just happy.”

As for why he’s talking about this now, Bass says, “The main reason I wanted to speak my mind was that (the rumors) really were starting to affect my daily life. Now it feels like it’s on my terms. I’m at peace with my family, my friends, myself and God so there’s really nothing else that I worry about.”

Since coming out in late summer of 2006, Lance has been embraced by the gay community. And why not? He’s got a pair of soft green eyes that would melt any queen’s icy heart. The gay world is a better place with Lance in it.

Keep an eye out for Lance’s tell-all book, called “Out of Sync.” Lame, I know. Personally, I think it should be called “Fish out of Water.” Get it. Bass. Fish. Eh, never mind.

Tune in every Friday for the Come Out & Play series, featuring coming out stories of celebrities, every day people, personal reflections, advice, tid bits and everything else concerning the complicated world of coming out!

Got an interesting coming out story to tell? Contact me and I will feature it in an upcoming post of Come Out & Play.

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