Greyson Chance first made waves in public with an amazingly accomplished cover of “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga, which went viral after he performed it for Ellen DeGeneres at the age of 12.
Today, Greyson has announced on Instagram that he’s gay, and explains why it took him a bit of time to acknowledge his sexuality.
“I came to fully recognize that I was gay when I was sixteen,” he writes. “I decided not to publicize my sexuality largely due to a matter of privacy, as I was still trying to find comfort and confidence within my own skin.” He also explained his perspective that his sexuality wasn’t necessarily the most interesting topic of conversation: “I always found conversations regarding music, politics, art, books — and the greatness of Nas’ catalog —to be far more interesting than what type of guy I was into. This is still true today.”
He changed his mind after reading an inspirational message from one of his fans, which made him realize the importance of LGBTQ visibility — even if you have to find it on your own terms.
“I encourage anyone who is navigating their sexuality to devote as much time as they need to the process of finding self-confidence, self-acceptance, and self-love,” he says. “Hell, for me, it took years to write this message.”