Michael Stipe Opens Up About Sexuality

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Mar 20, 2008

For all those public figures out there hiding in the closet, Michael Stipe has a message for you: come out, come out, wherever you are. In a recent interview, the REM front-man and openly gay celeb has spoken out about sexuality and urged for more openness in the public realm.

The 48-year-old has long been out, making his sexual preference known to the media and fans since back in the mid-’90s. He has even described himself as a queer artist to several big-name publications such as Time magazine and rarely hid from the topic of sex.

When Stipe’s sexual preference came up recently in a conversation with Spin, he took the opportunity to again emphasise how important it is for people in the public eye to be open about such things.

"I was totally open with the band and my family and my friends and certainly the people I was sleeping with. I thought it was pretty obvious,” Stipe said. "Now I recognise that to have public figures be very open about their sexuality helps some kid somewhere out there.” (Yes, let’s hope the people Stipe was sleeping with understood he was gay.)

REM’s 14th studio album Accelerate hits April 1 and is now available for preview on the band’s Facebook profile.

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