LANCE BASS BEHIND THE SCENES
THIS PAGE: PHOTOS BY DENNYS ILIC
BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ
*NSYNC MAY HAVE BEEN WHAT PUT LANCE BASS ON THE MAP, BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT KEPT HIM THERE.
Lance has gone from boy band personality to activist, entrepreneur, father, and star in his own right. Destined to become a mega multi-media personality, he started life in a small town in Mississippi where no one locked their doors. His musical instruction would start early as he began singing in his Southern Baptist church choir. The church became his second home and he would learn how to read music and harmonize, not knowing how much those skills would come into play in his later life. As much as he embraced those early beginnings, he also started to feel the divide between conservative religion and sexuality. I knew I was gay at five years old and I also knew that it would be something I would have to hide my entire life. At a young age, I started seeing the BS which changed my whole look on religion and the world. I knew at an early age that many of the adults around me were wrong about so many issues - especially in regards to homosexuality - and it was that realization where I became aware these authority figures weren’t to be fully trusted. I feel like I had to fake so much about myself just to appease everyone around me. It made me question everything, and religion doesn’t give you the space to question anything. I remember when I was “saved” and baptized - going through the motions - I had to pretend that I felt the light of Jesus. It was all just an act on my part to appease those around me. The exposure that would come with *NSYNC also came with the pressure of living life the way the public saw him, not who he really was. Pretty much exposed by the media, his real-life would come into the spotlight as his People magazine cover story would serve as his official coming out. Not calculated or planned, it happened in a media frenzy. I only had 48 hours to start coming out to the rest of my friends/family who I needed to tell before the whole world learned. I was outed. In hindsight, I am glad the band-aid was ripped off but I had a lot of learning to do about the gay community and I had to learn very quickly. No one should be forced to come out. Everyone needs to do it on their own time because you don’t know everyone’s story. There could be safety concerns and there are so many different experiences. It’s ultimately a very personal decision and should be decided by the individual and no one else. METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
25
