More from Clay

With Clay Aiken‘s exclusive People magazine “Yup, I’m Gay” announcement, he fulfills a promise he made to himself when his son, Parker, was born: to come out to the world.

“It was the first decision I made as a father,” says Clay. “I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn’t raised that way, and I’m not going to raise a child to do that.”

Good for him!

As for his fans, he understands that all the news may be a little much. “Whether it be having a child out of wedlock, or whether it be simply being a homosexual, it’s going to be a lot,” he says.

But, he hopes that they know “I’ve never intended to lie to anybody at all…. But if they leave, I don’t want them to leave hating me.”

We’re sure that if he has lost any fans he’s now gained a bunch more!

29-year-old Clay came out to his mother 4 years ago when his brother was deployed to Iraq.

“I started crying in the car,” Aiken remembers. “It was dark. I was sitting there, thinking to myself. I don’t know why I started thinking about it … I just started bawling. She made me pull over the car and it just came out.”

So what was his mom’s reaction? “She started crying. She was obviously somewhat stunned. But she was very supportive and very comforting.” Even now, Aiken admits, “She still struggles with things quite a bit, but she’s come a long way.”

Clay hopes to give his own son the support he and every child needs to grow up to be a happy and healthy adult.

“I have no idea if he’ll be gay or straight. It’s not something I’ll have anything to do with, or that he’ll have anything to do with. It’s already probably up inside the code there … No matter what the situation you’re in, if you’re raised in a loving environment, that’s the most important thing.”

Update: We have some exclusive quotes from the interview!

Clay is single, y’all!

“I’ve got one man in my life right now and he’s crying and he needs formula! And if Jaymes continues to date, she will, but she’s not going to date anyone who doesn’t understand this is the dynamic.”

Does Clay ever feel at odds with his faith because of his homosexuality???

“I still consider myself a born-again Christian, and I am absolutely comfortable with that, and comfortable with my salvation.”

He seems so much more at ease now!

Isn’t it nice to be able to just be yourself?

Freedom!