Aaron Carter Takes Back His Bisexuality: ‘It Was a Little Misconstrued’

Aaron Carter went back into the closet in a Hollywood Life podcast, saying his coming out as bisexual was “misconstrued.”

Said Carter: “It was more so just a story that happened when I was like 17 with somebody. I can find men and women attractive, but when it comes down to it, I think it was a little misconstrued. I see myself being with a woman and having kids. I want to have a family. I keep telling people that. I don’t want it to be misconstrued too much, just because I was open about a story.”

Carter came out as bisexual in a note on social media in August 2017, saying that it “has been weighing on [his] chest for nearly half of [his] life.”

In the social media post, Carter, the brother of Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter, said that since the age of 13 he has found both boys and girls attractive and had his first experience with a man at the age of 17.

Added Carter: “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 of me.”

Saying he never wanted to be a “figure of disappointment,” Carter concluded with a quote from Boy George he said summed up his feelings: “I’ve neveer felt as though I didn’t belong, I just acted as though I did.”

Carter has since deleted that post.

In a follow-up interview, Carter was asked about how he’s feeling and why he decided to come out when he did.

Said Carter: “All I can say is that I’m really looking forward to the future right now – and whether I choose to be with a woman or a man is my decision. No one else’s. To be honest, I’ve been thinking about it for years. I just felt like it was something I needed to do. I was having some personal issues, some turmoil in my ex-relationship. It was something that I just felt like was important and I needed to say. It was a part of a new chapter of turning 30…”

He said he has known since his early teens, but didn’t tell anyone: “I knew when I was a little kid, like 12, 13. No-one really knew. Not my mom, no one. It wasn’t until I was about 17 that there was somebody I had a small relationship with.”

He also broke up with his girlfriend after telling her: “I had discussed it with my ex-girlfriend and she didn’t really understand it. She didn’t want to, and that was it… We parted ways…I don’t really know what else to say about it.”

Carter also had advice for others coming out: “The process is at your own pace and when you feel comfortable. There might be a lot of people who don’t agree with it, but you might be surprised by the people who do….I was shocked. I was blown away [by the supportive comments]”

He added: “I am a single man right now. And whether I choose to be with a woman or a man is my decision.”

The post Aaron Carter Takes Back His Bisexuality: ‘It Was a Little Misconstrued’ appeared first on Towleroad.

Aaron Carter Takes Back His Bisexuality: ‘It Was a Little Misconstrued’

Milwaukee Becomes First Municipality in Wisconsin to Protect Youth from “Conversion Therapy”

Today HRC and Fair Wisconsin, the statewide group working to advance equality for LGBTQ Wisconsinites, praised the Milwaukee Common Council for passing a measure protecting  LGBTQ youth from the dangerous and discredited practice of so-called “conversion therapy.” The ordinance prohibits licensed mental health professionals from engaging in conversion therapy with minors and carries a civil penalty for each violation. Milwaukee is the first city in Wisconsin to pass such a measure.

“No child should be subjected to the abusive practice of so-called conversion therapy, which has been rejected by every major medical and mental health organization,” said HRC Wisconsin State Manager Wendy Strout. “We thank the Milwaukee Common Council and the team at the Milwaukee LGBT Center for putting the well-being and safety of our children first, and hope their leadership can be an example to cities across the state.”

Said Michael Vinson, Chairman Emeritus of Fair Wisconsin, “We applaud the City of Milwaukee for taking this important and bold step in protecting the LGBTQ community from these destructive, dangerous practices. We remain hopeful that communities across the state will follow Milwaukee’s lead in helping to ensure a fair, safe and inclusive Wisconsin for all.”

“Conversion therapy,” sometimes referred to as “sexual orientation change efforts” or “reparative therapy,” encompasses a range of dangerous practices that seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. These practices are based on the false premise that being LGBTQ is a mental illness that needs to be “cured” — a theory that has been rejected for decades by every major medical and mental health organization.

There is no credible evidence that conversion therapy can change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. To the contrary, research has clearly shown that these practices pose devastating health risks for LGBTQ young people such as depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, homelessness, and even suicidal behavior. The dangerous practice is condemned by every major medical and mental health organization, including the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, and American Medical Association.

In addition to Milwaukee, a growing number of municipalities across the country, including cities in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida, have enacted similar crucial protections. Connecticut, California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont all have laws or regulations protecting youth from this abusive practice. Earlier this month, the Washington state legislature also passed a similar bill which is currently awaiting the Governor’s signature.

According to a recent report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, an estimated 20,000 LGBTQ minors in jurisdictions without protections will be subjected to conversion therapy by a licensed healthcare professional if officials fail to act.

HRC recently launched HRC Rising, the largest grassroots expansion in its history that will include significant investments in Wisconsin.

More information on the lies and dangers of efforts to change sexual orientation or gender identity can be found here.

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