America's Best Dance Crew

We've recently heard those rumors of JC Chasez dating Chace Crawford of the overly popular teen drama series Gossip Girl.  The Dance Crew judge tried to dodge those rumors until he had enough of them, telling People that the rumors are "just stupid."  The public must've gotten it wrong.  JC Chasez isn't gay, as he has denied it a million times.  However, one former N*Sync member is, and he's out in the open about it.

A couple of years ago, Lance Bass came out through an interview with People Magazine.  There, he spoke about his sexual orientation, and how he's been dealing with it since way before the N*Sync days.  Today, he continues to stand proud about his gender preferences with a new endeavor he is working on.

Lance Bass recently made a public service announcement for the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), in lieu of the 11th annual National Day of Silence on April 25, when students across America "take a vow of silence to protest bullying, harassment and discrimination in schools," CNN reports.

"I think it's time for me to stand up," Lance Bass told the Associated Press.  He says that he wants to "help educate, because I'm lucky enough to have been given a voice to be able to talk and grab the attention of people."

Bass would like to raise awareness on the violence against the gay community, which has often been defamed by the more conservative groups.  Moreover, he recently released a memoir entitled "Out of Sync," which will be released on October 23, 2007. There, he spoke of his experiences as a young gay man caught in the spotlight of screaming female fans. He also talked about his life after *NSYNC, and how he was able to eventually come out as a successful gay man.

The public service announcement for GLSEN, on the other hand, was also done in honor of Lawrence King, a 15-year-old student who was tragically shot and killed in February in Oxnard, California by a younger boy because King arrived at school in a 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," Bass said.

Moreover, Bass points out that the discrimination against the gay community isn't something that is felt individually.  There is much influence from the older generation and he felt that kids nowadays are "being told by older siblings or family members or other fellow students."

"Everyday, thousands of students are silenced.  They're silenced by fear, they're silenced for being who they are," Bass says.

The 28-year-old performer, who chose to come out of the closet well after the pop group N*Sync disbanded, says that he wished he could've made the revelation earlier.  However, he took into consideration the career of N*Sync, and their widespread popularity, which might be stolen away from them once he let the cat out of the bag.

"I had four other guys' careers in my hand," Bass told MTV back in July 2006.  "I knew that if I ever acted on it or even said [that I was gay], it would overpower everything."

"I was very scared of ruining my four best friends' careers," he admits today.  "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."

However, it seems that he regrets that choice and saw it as a good opportunity to show the world that gay people may as well be as talented as any other straight person.

"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," Bass says.  "I think it would have been fine.  My fans have always still stood by me, and they haven't changed...I think it could have helped a lot of people."

In fact, Dance Crew judge and long-time friend JC Chasez himself admits that he has nothing but support for the fellow performer.

"I've know Lance for more than 10 years," JC Chasez told MTV News.  "We have been through so much together.  He is family and I support him unconditionally."


-Valerie Anne del Castillo, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: CNN, MTV, Us Magazine
(Photo courtesy of LanceBass.com)