[in a September 3, 2002, interview with Paris Barclay in the magazine The Advocate, when asked about gay celebrities who stay closeted] Well, it's not nice. Look at George Michael, let's say. I mean, he hid it for so many years, and then he gets found out in a really awful way.... Y'know, you start a slippery slope downward, and I didn't want to start that at 22. If that means I'm going to be a poor man at 60, then at least I've lived a happy, open, gay life and not had to hide it from anybody. I've had letters from people who have read my articles and said, "I'm a guy, I'm 18, and I've not come out to my mom and dad yet, but it was so nice to hear your story, and you know, I wish your article would have been longer, because you gave me hope for the future." As far as I'm concerned it's not a big issue. You come out, that's it, the end.
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