Openly gay singer Lance Bass made headlines last week when he revealed that he helped former Washington Wizards center Jason Collins come to a decision about the best way to come out to the world. In a recent interview on “The View,” Bass spoke about his own journey to coming out and how he still receives daily death threats.
In the interview, Bass explained that he didn’t know Collins before their conversation and that a mutual friend suggested that Collins speak to him because of their similar lives in the media.
“I came out in 2006 … and as he was telling me his story, I related to everything because with me, you know, I wasn’t in sports, but basically ‘N Sync’ was a sport: There were four other guys, you had your team, you were protecting your team,” said the former boy band star.
Bass explained that he told Collins to “be yourself, [as] the world’s gonna love you anyway. Don’t look at the negative.”
“The best advice I gave him was a contact at GLAAD. I had no one to talk to when I came out,” he added.
Though Bass spent the last seven years living as an openly gay man in the public eye, he reveals that he, just like Collins, is still receiving a backlash from angry fans and homophobes about his sexuality.
“I get it every day,” said Bass. “There are a lot of idiots out there. Everyday, I get a tweet [that reads,] ‘You’re going to hell, God hates f**s.’”
Luckily for Bass, as well as every other LGBT celebrity, there is a growing amount of support for the LGBT in our society that is outshining any death threats that have come out.
But Bass, unfortunately, is not alone. Check out some other LGBT stars and allies who have received death threats below. – nicholas robinson
