Dear College OTR readers,
 

The time has finally come. Clay Aiken has come out of the closet.
 

Perez Hilton has the cover of the newest People magazine which features Aiken, his new child and the headline “Yes, I’m Gay.” (Sidenote: So unoriginal, People. Remember Lance Bass’s own cover proclaiming, “I’m Gay”?)
 

So why is that of importance for College OTR?
 

Because so many of you steadfast ClayHeads have earnestly defended Aiken’s sexuality in the past, so clearly you care. An August post entitled Clay Aiken Is A Proud Papa had commenters up in arms. One included a quote from Clay himself: "One thing I've found of people in the public eye," Aiken says, "either you're a womanizer or you've got to be gay. Since I’m neither one of those, people are completely concerned about me. They're like, 'What are you then?' I'm sure it has to do with being raised by women. I wouldn't want somebody gawking at my mom and grabbing her butt and catcalling at her, trying to hook up with her at a bar. I'm not saying I'm not going to look. Hello! But you know what I mean?"
 

Someone else asked: “I guess you know Clay so you can be the one to determine he’s gay.”
 

I bring these up not to belittle our dear readers or even to bash Clay. It’s just goes to show that behind every rumor, there may just be a grain of truth, though each person needs to come out in their own time.
 

As such, we wish nothing but good things for Aiken. As the tagline for the cover quotes him as saying, “I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things.” He can now live his life without pretending to be something he is not.

Be proud of who you are Aikin and your fans will stick by you… as our very vocal OTR readers have clearly shown.