Pop crooner Aaron Carter has been unusually open about his personal problems over the years, including a history of substance abuse and eating disorders.
Now, the 29-year-old singer has decided to be equally candid regarding his sexuality.
In a lengthy tweet posted Saturday evening, Carter publicly acknowledged that he’s attracted to men and women, and has identified as bisexual since he was thirteen.
“There’s something I’d like to say that I feel is important for myself and my identity that has been weighing on my chest for nearly half of my life,” he writes.
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“This doesn’t bring me shame, just a weight and burden I have held onto for a long time that I would like lifted off me.
I grew up in this entertainment industry at a very young age and when I was around 13-years-old I started to find boys and girls attractive.”
Further on, he writes:
“There were years that went by that I thought about, but it wasn’t until I was 17-years-old, after a few relationships with girls, I had an experience with a male that I had an attraction to who I also worked with and grew up with.”
— Aaron Carter (@aaroncarter) August 6, 2017
The letter continues:
“To me music has always been my temple. Music will ALWAYS be what transcends us and myself. The studio has always been my safe haven. But the ultimate goal for me is to be satisfied. I never want to be a figure of disappointment.”
Carter ends the letter with a quote from Boy George:
“The best quote to sum ‘I’ve never felt as though I didn’t belong, I just acted as though I did.’ — Boy George.”
Okay, so maybe that Boy George quote is a little convoluted.
Anyway, Carter’s message follows an arrest on July 15th under suspicious of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana. Girlfriend Madison Parker, riding in the passenger seat, was also taken into custody.
Carter was released from jail after posting bail for $4,610.
h/t: ABC News
Xzamilloh
Makes me wonder if he really was with Chris Crocker all that time ago… what about you, Aaron? You ever dipped in the man pond? With one of your BSB bandmates? Preferably Kevin?
Xzamilloh
I meant Nick.
Mykey
Good for him!
mrrasheed
Please delete this article and have a writer who can spell and knows the who the article is about. This story is full of misinformation like they read his brother’s bio and copied it. Also spelled Aarons last name incorrectly. This is not journalism this isn’t even decent blogging. Does Queerty have an editor?
Xzamilloh
…………..what?
ColorMeColorado
I think the editor is the writer, perhaps. Probably one guy doing everything. The “Cater” error is embarrasing, yes.
Happy for Aaron. He was adorable back in the day. He’s really working out to stay fit it appears. Hope it’s not just because his album is also… coming out. See what I did there. Hahaha
Alan down in Florida
Queerty’s Editor’s name is spellcheck. Or is that shell shocked?
batesmotel
At first I thought it said Aaron Carter, then saw the spelling and thought oh it’s someone else I’ve never heard of. So yeah they should at least proof read these pieces. I realizes this is just a gossip site, but at least try to thrive to be a better writer.
tinkle_beauregard
Punctuation is atrocious! But it seems no one cares, anymore.
Rex Huskey
Honey, this is Queerty…not the WSJ for God”s sake! Ha!
Coxhere
It’s interesting, mrrasheed, while criticizing Derek de Koff’s article, you did not make “Aarons” possessive: “Aaron’s.” So, you spelled Aaron’s name incorrectly. Does Queerty have an editor? Do YOU edit what you write?
Donston
I appreciate him saying that he actually finds both sexes attractive. Instead of typical lame sh*t like, “I like men and women” or “I like different people’s energy”. Although, almost none of these famous and semi-famous men who come out as bi/fluid/queer/etc. are willing to flat-out say they find men and women sexually attractive.
I feel bad for anyone who grows up in the industry. It’s full of predators and users, and almost everyone has to start manipulating aspects of themselves at a very young. He clearly has a lot of issues and needs a lot of help. I hope this is the first step to getting that help and gaining a stable ego and sense of self and is not just another tumble into messiness.
dean089
Yes, and certainly more refreshing than that ‘sexually fluid’ bullsh*t.
Donston
There is nothing wrong with admitting that you are only slightly sexually attracted to men or women, or that you would prefer to romantically be with the gender you don’t have substantial and sustainable sexual attraction to or that you have certain fetishes you like to indulge with different genders or that you’re a straight or gay man who experimented and got some enjoyment out of. A lot of these guys seem to want to shield a lot of these things, hence the vague and pretentious descriptions of themselves and vague sexual orientations. As much as Nico Tortorella has talked about his sexuality he’s still saying nonsensical, pretentious, narcissistic crap like, “I like different people’s energy” and “I find men and women both ‘physically’ attractive”.
This is a dude with drug problems, body dis-morphia and years of general erratic behavior, and he needs to get help to sort all of it out. Getting the hell off of social media for a while is the first step. As much as people like to ignorantly think being homo, homo-dominant, bisexual or simply indulging bi or gay behavior are often triggers to a lot of these issues, it’s actually ego-dystonia, developing extreme cluster b personalities, and/or contending with past sexual or physical abuse that have proven to have more of a connection to these things.
Shimata
@Donston, I’m confused by your hostility. How is it “typical lame sh*t” if someone says “I like men and women” or “I find men and women both ‘physically’ attractive”? Those statements are about as simple and direct as they come. By definition, if you are sexually attracted to both genders, you are bisexual. And you can be physically attracted to either gender without being emotionally attracted to them. Shouldn’t people have the freedom to self-identify however they choose without being criticized because someone else prefers to label them differently? What if instead of “gay” or “homosexual” everyone insisted you identify as “sodomite” or “f@g”? If someone told me he was sexually fluid or liked different people’s energy, I wouldn’t think twice about him using different labels to describe his sexuality. Whether you call it a daffodil or a narcissus, you’re still talking about the same flower.
Donston
@Shimata
Legitimately homosexual and bisexual people have been fighting for years to get respect, to get people to understand that their sense of self is an inherent and scientific part of who they are and that they’re simply living a life reflective of that. Most of these fluid/flexible- and to a slightly lesser extent queer- and to a lesser extent than that- bi identifying people admit in one way or another that they don’t have genuine sexual attractions to men and women, that their sexual and/or romantic instincts are driven by other things. People looking to have relationships and/or regular sex with genders they’re not sexually attracted to are mostly driven by ego-dystonia, cluster b personality, sadomasochistic fetishes, body-part based sexual attractions that don’t extend to the gender as a whole, money and/or social comfort. And that is all cool, but it’s simply not the same thing as people who simply recognize their inherent sexual attractions and live as such.
I identify as homo-dominant. It’s somewhere between homo and bisexual. And I do so because it’s a reflection of who I am inherently. I can have some instinctual sexual attractions and arousal for women, but it isn’t substantial nor is it sustainable. And I have the ability to love a man and commit to a man. Most of these vague new “identities” are followed up with vague explanations for why someone identifies as those things. It often seems like these people are using them to greater hide who they inherently are and what their motivations are rather than truly coming out and revealing themselves. And ultimately, none of it really gives insight into the nuances of sexuality and the connections sociology and psychology can have to sexuality.
Everyone has the right to identify as whatever, date whatever, have sex with whatever. But I have the right to say your thing is not the same as my thing. It’s simply not the same struggle. And that is especially becomes clear since homophobia, and especially male-focused homophobia, is still very much a prominent thing, which is something a lot of these people refuse to admit. If we were able to have an honest conversation about that and if more these people (particularly men) were willing to be completely straight-forward about who they are and their motivations, it would all be a lot easier to “come together”, and so much of it wouldn’t be dismissed as narcissistic nonsense.
Lvng1Tor
Hopefully, by coming out it will alleviate some of the pressure and help with the addiction issues. I’m sure it will help with the career…look for him at every pride event in 2018.
JED08
He was already doing pride events prior.
Coxhere
Hi Lvng1Tor,
In my working years, I was a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a Licensed Clinicial Social Worker. I worked in chemical dependency treatment programs in both in-patient and out-patient settings.
I can say that you are absolutely correct that when Gay men become both inwardly and outwardly honest concerning sexual orientation the integrity helps alleviate Gay men’s stresses and rids one of Gay men’s “sick-as-your-secrets” impediments to living clean and sober lives in addiction recovery.
Alan down in Florida
I hope this revelation will enable Aaron to get some of that weight off his shoulders and allow him to finally become the human being he is as opposed to the one he felt everyone needed him to be.
DCguy
So he endorsed Trump, then rescinded it over the backlash, then gets arrested on a possession charge with his girlfriend, and now suddenly kind of comes out. Sounds like P.R.
Donston
PR has to be some of the motivation, right? He just gave a video interview a few weeks ago, coming off manic while confessing his eating disorder and of course looking gaunt and unhealthy. He kept swearing that he’s never done drugs and then gets caught with drugs days later. I don’t know what his exact sexual attractions are or what his motivations are, and it would be silly to believe anything he has to say at this point. He is a pretty overt headcase, liar and attention-whore. His refusal to step away from social media despite endlessly being bullied due to his body, his drug use, his body issues and his potential sex issues are all signs of an extreme megalomaniac and narcissist with a very convoluted sense of self. But he is also clearly troubled and needs help. So, I don’t want to be too harsh.
I also don’t want to believe that he’d be that calculated to think, “if I confess to having some type of attraction to dudes or that I fooled around with guys a couple times then people won’t be so harsh”. I don’t want to be that cynical, though I also don’t like not looking at all possibilities, and, ultimately, this is Hollywood.
Rex Huskey
Well hell DCGurl…we CAN agree on something!
DCguy
@Rex Huskey
It’s rare, but it apparently happens.
@Donston,
I’m not saying it was well thought out. But he is 30, just got massive Trump backlash, and then gets arrested with his GIRLFRIEND for possession and suddenly comes out as somebody who “Maybe is kinda attracted to both sexes…..but who has a girlfriend and a pending case against him.”
Just sounds like an attempt to change the story. I could be wrong, but comes off weird.
KiwiJello
Wait… so that fan fiction I read of Aaron and JC Chasez was true? Hot! 😉 (j/k, kind of)
Rex Huskey
who cares? I mean what is the “news” here. …and who the f*ck in aaron carter anyway? Read a book boys! Geez!
Xzamilloh
I’d like to know who the f*ck is in Aaron Carter, too….
Rex Huskey
Reads like an interview from MSNBC’s “Lockup”.
crowebobby
Some boys should remain boys.
Xzamilloh
Dude, you’re gross.
BriBri
Leave the guy alone, it takes some people longer to come out except for DcGuy who was born in the bath house sling.
JaredMacBride
This poor guy has lots of problems, like many who experienced pre-pubescent celebrity. But he seems harmless enough: not too bright and a big attention ho, but harmless. Hope he finds his way through things.
deacon
Who cares
kent25
I believe those women aren’t doing their jobs right when your boyfriends and husbands want to make out with other men . lol Too many gay friends
kent25
RuPaul was right when he say, You females no longer have the upper hand, You got your bisexual, you got your trysexuals, You got your Intellectualsexuals, lol You gonna have to step your Pu**y up lmao.
Donston
What an off-putting borderline misogynistic thing to say, even in jest. And ultimately, hetero-normalcy will always have the upper-hand. Hetero-dominant men and hetero men who indulge gay behavior out of curiosity, convenience, narcissism, and megalomaniac/sadomasochistic fetishes will almost all still live mostly hetero lives and maintain a hetero image. While I’d guess that almost 50% of men with homo or homo-dominant sexual attractions still live mostly straight lives and maintain mostly hetero images. So, hetero-normalcy ruling isn’t going anywhere.
Finally, no one in their right mind would touch Aaron Carter considering that he looks like the Crypt Keeper right now and is a total nutcase. I don’t want to be mean. But that’s what it is.
batesmotel
Not sure what he does for a living, except that he’s the brother of one of the Backstreet Boys. In any case, this guy doesn’t look well. I don’t know what he’s taking, but he’s taking a lot of it and regularly. You can tell in his face. He’s also got a lot of emotional issues. I hope he gets some help. I don’t mean that in any judgment or unkindness, but he’s partying quite a bit and headed for a cliff.
BennyP
The Bi/queer community must be thrilled , lol means nothing to the rest of us.
and a trump supported to boot, he’s the Caitlyn Jenner of the Bi community
kyle summers
Why do the bother coming out? They can be on the Low, I mean the down low like Omar Mateem & Aaron Hernandez get them a little man time every now and then, Nobody has to know