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6.17.99 14:00 EST visit the boyzone offical page here back
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Boyzone's Stephen Gately Comes Out:
Heartthrob vocalist Stephen Gately of the Irish boy band
Boyzone has revealed to London tabloid "The Sun" that
he is gay. |
Gately, 23, told "The Sun" that he's in a committed
relationship with longtime boyfriend Eloy de Jong of the
defunct Dutch boy band Caught in the Act, and that he
decided to come out on his own because he was
threatened with being outed in the press by a former
employee.
"I think the time has come to be honest and tell everyone
that I am gay," the singer disclosed in his statement. "I
owe it to all Boyzone fans. I'm not ashamed of coming out
like this, my family and friends have known for a long
time."
Gately also told "The Sun" that he had kept his sexuality a
secret when he first joined the group, and that
acknowledging his orientation has finally given him the
freedom to be himself.
The other four members of Boyzone, whose newest U.K.
album "By Request" is currently at the top of the Brit
charts, have publicly supported their bandmate in his
decision to come out.
The Irish boy band is currently featured on the "Notting
Hill" soundtrack with the song "No Matter What."
Idolized by millions of young fans all over the world,
Boyzone hasn't yet managed to take off in America with
the same success as American peers such as 'N Sync and
the Backstreet Boys.
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