“I just want to say thank you so much for all your love and your support with the LGBTQ community and my announcement… It means a lot. Yes, I am a bisexual man, so…”
So began Aaron Carter‘s Thursday night performance at Hamburger Mary’s — a venue close to his hometown in Brandon, Florida.
It’s Carter’s first show since coming out as bisexual last weekend, and judging by the footage, it looks like it went over well.
Related: Freshly out, freshly single Aaron Carter says he’s ‘looking forward’ to the future
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As TMZ dutifully reports, Aaron dropped a brand new song, “Hard To Love,” that’s all about an ex-girlfriend; the one who broke up with him mere days after he came out.
Carter appears quite moved by the crowd’s rapturous response. As fanboys and girls chant “Aaron! Aaron!“, he’s visibly verklempt.
It’s definitely a sight to see.
You can watch footage of the show over at TMZ.
ChrisK
Besides any snark I’ve made I wish him the best. I can’t imagine doing it under the spotlight. Now that’s he’s made it official I’ll be waiting to see the new BF or at least f*ck buddy.
Dack1952
you’ll have a long wait b/c, like most (but not all) bisexual men, he has girlfriends not bfs.
prarie pup
Yeah, you’re right ChrisK. I was going to say something catty and cruel but upon reading what you said I changed my mind. The kids got enough on his plate without kicking him while he’s down. I’m ashamed for even considering it. Who knows, his songs might even be good…stranger things have happened.
Paco
I hope he takes this opportunity to clean himself up. This is probably his last chance.
Donston
It really does seem like someone is manipulating all of this from behind the scenes. He already wrote, recorded and is ready to perform a song about an ex he apparently just broke up with days ago? As I’ve already said, whatever his inherent sexual orientation is, whatever he intends his “lifestyle” to be and whatever other things he’s contending with (and there appears to be many) he also seems to be taking full advantage of the situation and/or his “team” is taking advantage of him.
I do wish him good health.
Creamsicle
I think his coming out is probably sincere. There’s very little motivation for a man to be anything besides 100% heterosexual when he’s in the public eye. But I think you’re right and whoever is doing his PR is really trrying to milk it to an insulting degree.
Donston
There are social benefits to identifying as something other than hetero depending on what fulfills your ego or fulfills your financial needs. Believe me, there are plenty of hetero and hetero-leaning men who have identified as bi/fluid/queer etc, at least at some point in their life, for reasons that extended beyond their sexual attractions or who they wished to date. If a man is obsessed with being seen as “complex” or obsessed with getting attention and worship from a variety of different people, if he’s developed certain narcissistic and megalomania based instincts or fetishes, or (possibly in this case) if his career has gone to sh*t then he is much more likely to indulge behaviors that don’t truly reflect himself and/or more likely to identify as stuff he’s not. There have been plenty of famous and semi famous men throughout the years that have said they were bi or “kinda bi” and later said they were hetero. And while many people don’t fit into the stereotypical patterns of things it’s obvious that most men who identify as bi and hype up that identity for many, many years are more likely to be gay or gay-leaning men who simply wish to hold on to some hetero-normalcy and/or date women rather than being hetero/hetero-leaning men or bisexual men who have substantial and sustainable sexual attraction to men and women.
I do believe there is likely some type of sincerity to his outing. But I’m highly doubting he has any real interest in dating men. And I’m highly doubting his sexual attraction to men is anything more than minor. And it’s very probable that his public outing and everything that’s come after it is scripted and mostly driven by publicity/an attempt to re-ignite his long dead career. That is indeed insulting no matter his sexual attractions, romantic interest or “lifestyle” is.
I do give him a bit of a break though, only because it’s obvious he’s dealing with a lot of stuff.
scotshot
Funny all you guys never rag omniscience’s Joe Jonas as you are on Carter who’s a p[rime example of someone using gays as stepping stones.
scotshot
I don’t know how omniscience came from the word on.
Donston
I think you mean Nick Jonas. He never said he was bi following an arrest and admittance to drug addiction and then immediately followed that “announcement” with a very calculated-seeming, full press extravaganza. Also, there were plenty of people who hated on Nick’s gay-baiting and refusal to be straight-forward about his orientation. And he’s not a known drug addict, liar and general headcase. Besides, despite getting a bit of a press and couple of minor hits it didn’t really work for him.
I wish Aaron plenty of health both physically and mentally. But I’m not gonna put blinders on just because he claims to somewhat be “one of us”.
Rex Huskey
Who cares? Get a grip or get another way to make the bucks! It’s pro all a sham….I don’t buy it.
Rex Huskey
its prob
Rex Huskey
I’ve got an idea, maybe he and Lil Peep should to start dating. That would be a big media event….then they can break up…another bid media event…..and then one of them can sue the other for giving them herpes…a huge media event…… and THEN…..!!!!
All trash….just trash!
Paco
He has already tweeted an actress for a date after his big comeback performance.
Jaxton
There’s a lot of bisexual hypocrisy in the West. If a woman says she’s bi without any proof, she’s suddenly “cool” and is allowed to have hit songs in the mainstream pop charts.
However, if a man says he’s bi, everyone tries to convince him he’s really gay and must market himself to gay men, not the mainstream.
Bisexual hypocrisy is widespread.
Donston
Who is trying to convince him he’s gay? And he has no one to market himself to, because no one cares about him. He’s been irrelevant for over a decade. Also, Frank Ocean (a man who has been dating another man for over three years but hasn’t directly talked about his sexual orientation) has a fan base that you can argue is mostly made up of women. Most indie bands with gay/bi/queer identifying leads have a fan base largely made up of women. Many male performers have said they were bi or at least experienced sexual encounters with men and have continued success and continued having a large female fan base.
Brian, don’t you get tired of being so redundant and nonsensical?
Dack1952
something like 86% of bisexual men have girlfriends or state that their primary romantic interests are with women…
stefanocc
AMEN!!!!!:-))
kent25
yes and they need to just stay in the closet if they want a career, and just creep around with a boyfriend on the side
Kenney G
That’s what I don’t understand if a bisexual is practically straight, Why not live your life as a straight man? Yet they seek out men to have sex with. That’s why they are perceived as promiscuous ,greedy sluts. When you think about it, It’s called Lust not love. No person can love a woman and turn around and fall for a man
Dack1952
http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2016/05/04/over_80_percent_of_bisexuals_end_up_in_straight_relationships_why.html
Donston
First, that article is mostly about women. And in particular, it’s about a woman who dated men and trans men. Science and studies continue to tell us that men and women’s sexuality are very different. It’s almost impossible to compare the two.
However, most bisexual men who wish to be with a man simply aren’t interested in identifying as bi and if they do identify as bi they tend not to hype it up much. The majority of men who talk ad-nasuem about their bisexuality/queerness/”fluidity” and do so for years tend to be men with gay or gay-leaning sexual attractions who want to retain some sense of hetero-nomalcy, who contend with gay-shame and/or who wish to primarily date women. Or they’re hetero or hetero-leaning men who have certain fetishes that only men can fulfill. Or they have certain degrees of gender dis-morphia and have no real sexual attraction to guys. Or they’re gay4pay. That’s why I’m much less suspect of men who merely identify as bi than men who wish to constantly talk about about their bisexual identity and constantly remind people of it.
I’m an inherently bisexual man who is only truly interested in men and is married to a man. I have no desire to constantly talk about my inherent bisexual sexual attractions or hype it up. In fact, I prefer to identify as homo-dominant rather than straight-up bi. There are probably more men who have sexual attraction that lean greatly towards men than men who are flat-out homo. And the majority of those men either stay closeted and identify as hetero, identify as homo if they want to be with men or they simply wish not to talk much about their bisexuality. The ones that do a ton of hyping and constant talking tend to have ulterior motives or are hiding aspects about their sexual attractions, sexual instincts or motivations. That’s just the way it goes a great percentage of the time.
In conclusion, you definitely have a point. But also, there’s a lot that non-manipulative and non-narcissistic people choose not to share with a ton of people or hype up.
Kieran
The guy just came out of the closet. Why all the HATE in the comments? Chill.
Donston
I think I explained it to you well enough last article. So, there’s no need to guess.
Donston
Within the span of less than a week he publicly came out, supposedly broke up with his girlfriend and let that be known publicly almost as soon as it apparently happened, has given a couple of interviews on his bi identity, has indulged in conversation about his identity on all formats of social media, is already hitting on chicks and has performed a new song about the break up from the girl he supposedly just broke up with days ago. Never mind that he’s recently lied about substance abuse and has been known to be erratic in his behavior and his opinions.
I understand wanting to support lgbt and not wanting to believe he’s another “bi-guy” stereotype. But that’s no excuse for being naive.
Donston
He’s also said all the right things and all the cliches that a proper bi-identifying man should say to maintain men and women’s interests and keep to keep the public’s sympathy. Let’s not act stupid.
Kieran
@Donston When you become a good looking, famous, teen heart throb that comes out publicly, then maybe I’ll allow you to pontificate about Aaron Carter coming out. But until then just shut up.
Donston
You seemed befuddled by all the “HATE”, so I gave you a very detailed, clear response. If you don’t have real retort that’s fine. But going down the route of, “you’re not famous or anything so you can have no opinions” is lame. Also, I’m less interested in talking about Aaron himself and more interested in the psychology and sociology of sexuality and sexual identity, which is what I’ve mainly “pontificated” about.
And once again, have you seen him most recently? No offense, but he’s hardly conventionally “good-looking”. He looks very skeleton-like. He hasn’t had any relevance in over a decade besides the persistent drug rumors and the sometimes crazy things he says on social media. And he was a “heartthrob” for maybe two years of his life. So, everything you’re saying about him is somewhat of a stretch.
It seems some people are trying to pretend they can’t decipher the nonsense either because they used to have a crush on the dude or because they feel really bad for him or because they have an instinctual hard-on for any bi-identifying guy.
As I’ve already said, I do wish the guy good health.
Paco
Well Queerty does keep using old photos of him and not the recent strung out look. Maybe Kieran is attracted to 29 year olds that are living so hard they look 40.
Chris
From what I can tell, this kid grew up in a dysfunctional family/household and in the shadow of an older brother who is a member of one of the most successful boy-bands ever. Not surprisingly, he has all sorts of issues. ….. Even his latest run-in with the law resulted in his brother tweeting him; what happened to phoning and offering support in private? ….. The media highlights those episodes from his life that make it seem like he’s a train wreck waiting to happen. But somehow, he’s avoided Andy Gibb’s fate whose older siblings were the BeeGees. ….. I respect that he’s fighter and I hope that he makes it to a place where his efforts pay off.
trelin
Wouldn’t it be awful if Aaron was reading all these comments? He essentially comes out of the closet, and people immediately attack him or say he’s pandering or what-not. It’s not easy for someone who is in the limelight to go against what society expects of them to be.
Some of you guys are vicious. The community he’s reaching out to for support is immediately the ones that are sneering at him. How sad. Truly.
Causing him additional trouble by bad-mouthing him really isn’t supportive…it’s reductive, and petty.
Donston
I actually did think about how sad it would be if he was reading the comments. But ultimately, just because someone comes out and is reaching out doesn’t mean people can’t speak the truth. “Coming out” doesn’t suddenly mean you’re a good person, and it doesn’t mean people have to overlook your manipulation. This idea that everyone has to support everyone who identifies as lgbt is ridiculous and is very much a reductive and nuance-less premise.
JaredMacBride
If he read the comments he might realize how his drug-drinking habits are killing him (and not slowly, either) and start to put his life back in order. He doesn’t need people cheerleading for him. he needs help.
Daniel-Reader
Wish him well. Peace of mind and happiness.
Louis
Wish him the absolute best always liked Aaron.
Truly hope he gets clean so he can live a long,happy,and peaceful life like he deserves.
As far as Aarons support of our community he has made numerous supportive comments over the years unlike his brother Nick who has never once even acknowledged our existences which is sad to say the least.
Donston
He’s never truly went in on topics of gay marriage or homophobia or trans-phobia or self-acceptance or anything of that nature. The few things he’s said over the years have come off very, “yeah, gays are cool bruh”. Most of the “support” has seemed driven by trying to stay relevant and wanting to get attention from gays and homo-dominants. I know that’s cynical, but that’s how it’s always come off. As is often the case.
He BGB
I wish him the best. My first thought reading this was, no surprise everyone cheered him on. It’s a room full of drunk people. That’s what they do. Sounds like he just wants to be loved, like all entertainers. Because he messed around with an old friend one time doesn’t make him bi. It said he experimented.
He BGB
He needs lots of rest, stay away from booze and drugs, maybe do a face peel and or mask, drink lots of water. Exercise. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
Teri
Yeah Go to a gay bar and cry to the gays and the queers. Your girlfriend dumped you because your bisexual. Tell a couple of gay guys they are cute while you try to hook up with another chick, lol What the Hell Is this Fool doing here? ATTENTION WHORE
BennyP
I don’t give a shit about this guy, I am so tired of these people pretending to be a part of the community looking for fans. He must be looking for Bi and trans girls, He’s a druggie that’s why the girlfriend dumped him, I hope he just go away and quit invading my space
BennyP
Hopefully he will end up like all meth heads or dope heads OD
kyle summers
Did I miss something? Is it Bi visible week already? What the Hell do these guys want, shouldn’t they guys by on Time magazine or New week?
kent25
They’re looking for you to gaga over them lmao good luck with that
kyle summers
It’s just seems strange to me that someone would come out as bisexual, I get the girls. Girls are all about bonding and kisses, But men, If I were into women I sure as hell wouldn’t tell anyone I like guys to. Some things should be kept a secret. It seems like a sex thing, I can appreciate a beautiful sexy woman, but I don’t want to get in her pants. To me she’s just beautiful sexy woman