As a member of the popular band *NSYNC, Lance Bass was a teenage heartthrob. Despite his appeal to teenage girls and his conservative Christian upbringing in Mississippi, Lance says he knew from a young age that he was gay. Gayle talks to Lance about embracing his sexuality and about his memoir, Out of Sync.
Lance says he knew he was gay since he was 5 years old and had childhood crushes on boys. He says he felt ashamed of his sexuality, and when he became a part of *NSYNC as a teen in the late 1990s, he continued to hide the truth from others. "It was very hard and very confusing," he says. "I felt like a different character, and as long as I was with *NSYNC, I lived a double life."
In his book Out of Sync, Lance shares the series of events that led him to come out to the public on the cover of People magazine in 2006. From the disappointing breakup of *NSYNC to media speculation about his sexuality, Lance says he felt he had no other choice than to come out. "Now that I've really accepted this and seen people's reactions and positive reactions from everyone out there, I'm proud to say 'I am gay,'" he says.
While his memoir also delves into Lance's training to become an astronaut and his plans to continue singing and pursue acting, Lance says the real purpose of his book is to help others. "I'm so glad I get to share my story because I wrote this book mainly for the coming out process for a Southern family to deal and cope with," he says.
