Pop star Lance Bass has admitted that he used to join in with teasing gay kids at school to hide his own sexuality.
The former N SYNC singer, 31, has been speaking out against homophobic bullying after a spate of suicides in young gay men.
During an interview, TV host Larry King said: "You made fun of gay kids in high school to hide your own secret?"
Bass replied: "That's right".
He added: "When you're 13, 14, you just go along with what the other people are doing. You just want to fit in. You want to make sure that your friends like you. So yeah, you're going to crack jokes, you're going to laugh along with it. And when you're a teenager, you're not really thinking, 'Oh, I'm being a bully by laughing along with it.'
"You think, 'Okay, a bully's just someone that can physically go and harm someone for being short, for being black, white, whatever'.
"But you know, you're also a bully by condoning the behaviour and making the jokes along with them… I mean… it's definitely to impress your friends… I think that's the main reason people do bully, is to look cool in front of your friends. But you've just got to realise you're not being cool at all. I mean, it's the stupidest thing to do."
Bass, who is now known as an entertainer and producer, came out in 2006.
In a message to gay young people, he said: "They don't realise that in a few years that all goes away. It all gets so much better… You will leave those people behind and they won't have anything to do with [your] life… Life gets so much better.
It's been a heavily debated topic for almost two years, but it took just a few seconds for celebrities to Tweet their cheers when Proposition 8, a ballot measure passed in November 2008 that banned same-sex marriages in California, was ruled unconstitutional Wednesday by a federal judge.
Here's what Hollywood had to say after U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker in San Francisco struck down Prop 8:
• Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: "This decision affirms the full legal protections and safeguards I believe everyone deserves."
• Ellen DeGeneres: "Equality won!"
• Portia de Rossi: "I am ecstatic that proposition 8 has been overturned in the state of California. This is an incredibly exciting and historical day and a big step towards equal rights for all."
• Lance Bass: "Congrats on the overturning of Prop 8!!!!"
• Pink: "It’s a good day!"
• Ricky Martin: "YEAHHHHH!!!!! PROP8UNCONSTITUTIONAL MOVING FORWARD!!!!!!!!"
• Kelly Osbourne: "so happy over the news on prop8 its about time!"
• Kim Kardashian: "Prop 8 was struck down! This news is amazing!!!! Its about time! Congrats to everyone!"
• Shanna Moakler: "Tonight we celebrate! EQUALITY and LOVE for all! This is so much bigger then [sic] marriage, it's about wisdom, compassion and knowing we CAN be heard, action DOES make a difference!"
• Samantha Ronson: "Song Of The Day: Let's Get Married- Jagged Edge."
• Paris Hilton: "What a huge historical day for equal rights in this country! They finally overturned Prop 8! There shouldn't be a law on true love. :)"
• Sophia Bush: "A MAJOR step forward. Everyone deserves the right to love whomever they choose. I am proud to be from Cali again!"
• Rose McGowan: "Yay! No more Prop H8! I wanna be a flower girl in a wedding asap!"
• Fran Drescher: "Congrats to CA for c-ing the light & rising above prejudice. u had me worried there! When Iowa is cooler than Cali, it's time to recalibrate!"
• Milla Jovovich: "Gay Marriage law overturned in CA!!! Thank god good ppl are being treated equally again! Now we need the rest of the US to follow!"
Still, not everyone cheered the decision. Some proponents of the proposition expressed their disappointment.
"Judge Walker's ruling overturning Prop 8 is an outrageous disrespect for our Constitution and for the majority of people of the United States who believe marriage is the union of husband and wife," conservative politician Newt Gingrich said on his Web site.
The legal fight is expected to continue with an appeal by supporters of Prop 8.
There's a new man in Lance Bass's life.
The former 'N Sync singer has been happily dating Lorenzo Martone – designer Marc Jacobs's former fiancé – for two months.
"They're dating each other regularly, really like each other and enjoy each other's company," a friend told People Magazine. "They're going to take it one day at a time and see how it goes."
Although the pair met briefly a few years ago, they reconnected at an amfAR event in early June, following Martone's split from Jacobs.
"Lance wasn't interested in dating right away because he was getting over his own breakup with [Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's] Kyan Douglas," says the friend. "But Lorenzo was persistent, so they started talking and slowly spending more time together and really hit it off."
Since then, Bass, 31, and the Brazil-born Martone, who runs a New York public relations agency he also founded, have been spotted out together in Manhattan and Miami.
So what makes it work? "Lorenzo always thought Lance was really attractive, and Lorenzo is gorgeous, totally Lance's type – tall, dark and handsome," says the source. "They like the same things – movies, dinner with friends. They're very low-key. And it's nice that everyone in their social circles get along."
"When they both found themselves single at the same time, and Lorenzo found out Lance was now living in New York, he jumped at the opportunity to get to know him better."
Former 'N Sync bandmembers Lance Bass and Joey Fatone kick up their heels during a beach retreat at the Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa in St. Maarten on Saturday.
No sillies, it’s not Adam Lambert!
It is Lance Bass who agreed to get made up and pose for photographer Mike Ruiz who is known for his high-impact, surreal brand of celebrity and fashion photography.
Cool stuff!
Lance Bass, Ellen DeGeneres and Kathy Griffin have all voiced their disapproval at California officials' decision to uphold the state's gay marriage ban.
On Tuesday, the California Supreme Court opted not to overturn the ruling which came into effect under the Proposition 8 legislation late last year - six months after gay marriages were declared legal.
And celebrities, both gay and straight, have made it known how strongly they disagree with the current law.
Gay singer Lance Bass released a statement, saying, "I can only hope to one day live in a country that grants equal rights, opportunity, and freedom to all citizens."
And DeGeneres, who married her partner Portia de Rossi just before the ruling was overturned, believes it will be looked back on with contempt in the future.
She says, "I'm sure you heard the Prop 8 news. One day when everyone is treated with full equality, we'll look back and realise how wrong this was."
And comedian Kathy Griffin spoke of her pride in her grandmother who took to the streets to protest Proposition 8.
She explains, "My 89 year old mother has asked me to get her a wheelchair to take her to a protest tonight, even though she isn't in the greatest of health.
"She is neither gay, nor the parent of a gay person, but she is as passionate about this decision as I am. I am so proud to march with her. Shame on the CA Supreme Court for this decision that history will not look back on fondly."
Pop star Lance Bass has admitted that he used to join in with teasing gay kids at school to hide his own sexuality.
