If It Looks Like a Duck...

Well, N*Sync fans…it looks like when they sang the lyric, “Would you be my girlfriend,” someone was faking it.

Lance “The Bass Singer” Bass came out publicly today with his homosexuality. He had hid it for years, telling the Associated Press, “I knew that I was in this popular band and I had four other guys’ careers in my hand, and I knew that if I ever acted on it or even said (that I was gay), it would overpower everything.” After years of keeping that piece of his life out of the limelight – he announced that he is in a stable, loving relationship with reality-star-turned-actor, Reichen Lehmkuhl.

I don’t blame Lance for hiding his orientation from the world. As forward thinking as we’d like to believe we are – we’re not. And reality is reality. How many screaming little teeny boppers would have followed the band once they realized Lance wasn’t the “big brother” type, but more like the “I like your big brother” type? Probably a better question would be: How many of their parents would have participated in a record burning to save the precious ears of their suburban princesses?

But that’s not the point, ladies and gents. Whatever Lance decides to do with his life is his choice. We should respect it as a basic right of every human being alive. Okay – so he’s gay. Big whoop. There’s something just a little more shocking here that everyone is overlooking.

YOU COULDN’T TELL LANCE WAS GAY?

I guarantee you that there are actually people out there who could be knocked over with a feather with this news. In fact, the buzz I have read and heard is that there are some of us who never saw it coming!

And don’t kid yourself…everyone involved probably knew.

Exhibit A: In all of N*Sync videos, Lance got stuck with the plainest looking girls and maybe 30-seconds of air time.

Exhibit B: Lance’s dance position – usually in the back.

Exhibit C: During interviews, he wasn’t much of a talker when the “So, who do you think is hot right now?” question came up.

Exhibit D: He was cute – but not hot. I don’t think he was made out to be the most non-threatening by coincidence.

Don’t bury your head in the sand, you twenty-something’s who collected every piece of memorabilia from posters to bobble head dolls during your teen years. It doesn’t make you a freak. Quit hyperventilating and stop crying. You were probably too young or blinded by the bling to notice.

And for those of you Negative Nellie’s out there: Leave the man alone. N*Sync isn’t coming back, the news doesn’t change what happened in the past, and what he did was not a betrayal of your memories.

Let this be the last time we EVER have to talk about former boy band members on here ever again.