Melissa Etheridge says she knew this “sex symbol” was gay, helped him—and other celebs—come out
When Melissa Etheridge came out as a lesbian in 1993, she was just a few months shy of releasing her fourth album, Yes I Am.
With singles like “Come To My Window” and “I’m The Only One,” Yes I Am became her mainstream breakthrough, going six-times Platinum and earning her a handful of Grammy nods.In other words, Etheridge was one of the most prominent, out LGBTQ celebrities at the time.
So you just know she’s got some stories…In a revealing new interview with The Daily Beast, the singer-songwriter opened up about this thrilling time in her life, one filled with raucous pool parties and just as many soul-baring conversations with closeted stars who turned to her for advice.“They would always come and confess,” Etheridge shared. “I had people come to me and say, ‘I see you being out,’ and they would apologize to me because they were not out.
I would say, ‘Look, it’s very personal. It’s totally up to you, you don’t have to explain anything to me.’ There were a lot, and some have since come out.”Related: These 20 albums were essential in shaping LGBTQ cultureOne such star was Ricky Martin, whose solo career was beginning to take off internationally in the mid-to-late ’90s:“Ricky Martin was concerned because he was a sex symbol.
