Clay Aiken Steps Up for Gay Rights

I think it's terrific that Clay is stepping up and out with HRC. Everyone has their own process in coming out and discovering their inner activist. HRC has done a wonderful job of helping celebrities with that process and then assisting them in spreading the positive message of equality. You can't change the world overnight, and I have always appreciated HRC's strategic vision. Change is happening. Go Clay, Go!

LGBT civil rights continue to move forward at a good clip because of the personal efforts of countless individuals and because of the work of many organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign. In November, President Obama praised HRC for its work and credited the organization with helping to pass federal hate crimes legislation that protects LGBT individuals. He said HRC's work has been critical to the near-term repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. In a political system where lobbying plays a central role in US law, it's naive – even ungrateful – to spurn the HRC for participating in the structure of Washington, D.C. I'm proud of my work with HRC and feel that my modest financial contributions are making a difference in America. It's not the only way of making change, but it is an important way, and HRC is delivering results.

He's young and new at this. What difference does it make how or why he got here or how much celebrity status he has? He can reach more people than us average joes. Also, what difference does it make how others work towards equal rights as long as they are? I say good on him.

She's ALIVE!

Clay himself has said he is "Late to the Party" and acknowledges all the work that has been done for gay rights by people before him. I don't think you will see him marching in any parades anytime soon, but I think you may be pleasantly surprised by his speech Saturday night.

"why do we demand that every gay person has to announce their sexual orientation to the world?" Because invisible people can't go around demanding equal rights. If you're in the closet, you don't exist, you don't matter, you're not relevant, people will think your straight and leave it at that.

No person is born in a "closet", why do we demand that every gay person has to announce their sexual orientation to the world? And how can we shame eachother if it takes a while to understand that in the first place. Aren't most of us programed to be hetero from childhood anyway, and as time goes on we have to unravel that programming to try to understand ourselves. I never thought Clay was straight from the first time I saw him, and I doubt many people did.

Doug, Clay Aiken is a household name, everybody knows him. Hey may have been in the closet in the past, but unlike Ricky Martin, he's trying to redeem himself by helping his own community (which includes people that don't like him) instead of a bunch of Haitians.

GOP and HRC. So many similarities. I wasn't aware Clay Aiken came out in 2008. It seemed so obvious anyway. But, if he wants to be openly pro-gay now, great. I just don't believe he has enough celebrity stature or weight to be taken too seriously. Too little, too late, for me.

Listen, all you haters. Back off Aiken and go fight the real enemies of gay rights. He's doing what he can, and what he's capable of at the moment given his personal history. Not everyone has the ability to be fearless radicals at every moment of their lives. He's speaking out in favor of equality, and his celebrity status means that his comments will get coverage in the mainstream media. Sure, there’s more he can do—there’s always more that we all can do—but he’s doing a hell of a lot more good than bitching and moaning in these comments do. I understand the anger, I really do, but let's channel it productively and not aim it at each other. Let's not live up to the stereotype of bitter old queens.