Lance Bass
doesn't want others to stay silent as he did. So he's made a
public service announcement for the Gay, Lesbian, and
Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The spot, which
will be distributed over the Internet Friday, debuts
in advance of the 11th annual National Day of Silence on
April 25, when students take a vow of silence to protest
bullying, harassment and discrimination in schools.
Lance Bass
doesn't want others to stay silent as he did.
So he's made a
public service announcement for the Gay, Lesbian, and
Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The spot, which will be
distributed over the Internet Friday, debuts in
advance of the 11th annual National Day of Silence on
April 25, when students take a vow of silence to
protest bullying, harassment, and discrimination in schools.
''I think it's
time for me to stand up ... and help educate, because I'm
lucky enough to have been given a voice to be able to talk
and grab the attention of people,'' said the
28-year-old singer, who is gay.
''Everyday,
thousands of students are silenced. They're silenced by
fear, they're silenced for being who they are. ...
They're brothers, they're sisters, they're gay,
they're straight, they're you, they're me.''
Bass, who
recently completed a stint in the Broadway musical
''Hairspray'' and released a memoir, said the advertisement
is meant to honor Lawrence King, a 15-year-old boy
killed by another student in February because he
arrived at school in feminine attire.
''I heard about
Lawrence on the news, and it was just incredible to me
that kids that age that would have such an issue ... with
the subject of being gay,'' said Bass, who was part of
the boy band 'N Sync. ''It also shows me that these
kids don't -- they don't learn (bigotry) on their own.
... They're being told by older siblings or family members
or other fellow students.''
Bass -- who
joined 'N Sync in 1995 with Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez,
Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick -- announced in July 2006
that he's gay. It took him a while to come out. ('N
Sync went on hiatus in 2002 and has virtually
disbanded now that Justin Timberlake's career has taken
off.)
''I was very
scared of ruining my four best friends' careers,'' he said.
''The ignorance in me thought that if I did reveal that,
that our whole life would crash and the group would
end because everyone would hate us. But now I see how
stupid that was, and I wish I could go back and be able
to tell the world who I really was.
''And I think it
would have been fine. My fans have always still stood by
me, and they haven't changed. And I think it would have been
great to be able to come out (at) the height of like
the 'N Sync heyday -- I think it could have helped a
lot of people.''
On a lighter
note: Will there ever be an 'N Sync reunion?
''There's always
a chance that 'N Sync will do another album,'' he said.
''I am totally game, I would love to. I mean, the best times
of my life were with those guys.'' (Erin Carlson, AP)
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