Ricky Martin: I'm a Fortunate Homosexual Man

Ending years of conjecture and gossip by some in the gay community, singer Ricky Martin has "come out" and stated that he is gay. I've always found Ricky to be a cutie and wondered if and when he'd put fear behind him and come out of the closet. Personally, there are few things I have experienced in life that have been more liberating than finally being able to just be who you are with no more pretense - typically aimed at pleasing others or generated by fear of rejection. I applaud Martin's decision and believe that as he and others come out and live openly, it can only help demolish the stereotypes that our enemies seek to perpetrate against us. I truly identify with Martin's desire to be who he truly is as an example to his children. Living a false existence to please others definitely is not the one that I want to leave as a legacy for my children. As much as my coming out has caused massive upheaval, I truly hope that my children have learned that they must be true to themselves and live their lives for themselves and as who they were intended to be by our common creator. Ricky has details on his website here. Meanwhile, here are highlights from CNN:
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Pop singer Ricky Martin declared publicly this week what he avoided discussing for years: He is gay. I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man," Martin wrote on his official Web site. "I am very blessed to be who I am."
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A decade ago, when ABC's Barbara Walters pressed Martin to address rumors about his sexuality, he declined to confirm or deny them. "I just don't feel like it," Martin said. Now, Martin wrote, "these years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed."
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"Allowing myself to be seduced by fear and insecurity became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sabotage," he wrote. "Today I take full responsibility for my decisions and my actions." The decision to come out was initiated a few months ago, when he began writing his memoirs, he said. "I got very close to my truth," he wrote.
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Martin said that disclosing his secret is important because of his two sons, born via surrogate. "To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids where born with," he wrote. "Enough is enough. This has to change. This was not supposed to happen five or 10 years ago, it is supposed to happen now. Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment."Writing the seven paragraphs, he said, "is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution." "What will happen from now on? It doesn't matter.