It’s safe to say that 2013 is the year of coming out of the closet. The LGBT celebrity scene has a new member joining the fold as folk singer, Jenny Owens Youngs recently came out as a lesbian.
Youngs came out to her fans last week with a blog post on, Everyone Is Gay, calling herself “super gay” in the a letter addressed to a friend of hers.
“I’m writing to tell you, among other things, that I am super gay. This may or may not come as a surprise to you. If it does: Surprise! If it does not: You were right all along! Either way: Hooray!” wrote Youngs.
The folk singer explains her journey to discovering her identity, explaining that she knew she was gay in junior high school, but struggled to come out due to her religious upbringing.
“My feelings were further complicated by my religious upbringing. My family attended a born-again style church which taught (as many churches do) that homosexuality is a sin. The price of that sin, should you find yourself unable to turn away from it, was to burn in a pit of fiery torment for all eternity,” Youngs explained.
However, she eventually learned to accept her sexuality. Although she wishes that coming out wasn’t such a big deal, she explains that her coming out will help others to do the same.
“I’ve come to realize in recent months that a big part of my desire to hide this aspect of myself was rooted in those dusty old feelings: that there is something wrong, something bad, something less-than about being gay,” explained Youngs.
“It brings me no pleasure to admit to you that I have felt these feelings,” she added. “I want to appear strong, because I feel strong now; at the same time I know it is important – perhaps even the whole point of writing this thing – to make myself vulnerable.”
Youngs also revealed that she’s engaged to her girlfriend, Kristen Russo, and plans to marry her soon.
“This summer I am going to marry my fiancé. Her name is Kristin Russo and she is one half of the team behind EveryoneIsGay.com,” said Youngs.
Well, we’re glad that Youngs is choosing to be a beacon of hope for other LGBT individuals who are struggling with their sexuality and we wish the best for Youngs and Russo’s marriage.
Check out some other artists who came out in recent years below. – nicholas robinson
