Young vocal wonder Greyson Chance, who made a name at the age of 12 with an appearance in Ellen DeGeneres’ show after his cover of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” went viral, has come out as gay.
Chance – who came out via his Instagram account – said that his sexuality wasn’t the most interesting topic of conversation, since “I always found conversations regarding music, politics, art, books — and the greatness of Nas’ catalog — to be far more interesting than what type of guy I was into. This is still true today.”
Chance said he came to fully recognize that he is gay when he was 16. But “I decided not to publicize my sexuality largely due to a matter of privacy, as I was still trying to find comfort and confidence within my own skin.”
But he had a change of heart after receiving a message from a fan, so that now, he wants all of his fans and loved ones to know how important it is to find and accept oneself.
“I encourage anyone who is navigating their sexuality to devote as much time as they need to the process of finding self-confidence, self-acceptance, and self-love,” Chance said. “Hell, for me, it took years to write this message.”