“I never had a low self-esteem that would make me gay. At one point, though, the reverse happened. Being homosexual led me to have a loss of self-esteem when I first became aware of society’s attitudes about homosexuality.”

Part of me looks at the gay movement now and worries that we’re losing our individuality.

A lot of people come up to me all the time and say thank you for helping me be who I am. So my thing wasn’t just about sexuality. It was about anyone who felt different; anyone who felt out of place. Being gay was one part of it.

My family knew I was gay when I was 15, long before I got famous. But it’s a very different thing coming out to your family and coming out to the universe. That’s a big step.

I’m gay for Jesus, fill me with your grace. Pour your love all over me, but please aim away from my face.

And being gay isn’t so easy, either I’ve always said that if anyone ever thought I was straight they must need glasses – but when I finally came out and said, “Yes, I do sleep with men and I’m gay,” yeah, I lost record sales. There’s no question – big, big time.

A lot of Donna Summer and things that maybe weren’t trendy anymore or weren’t hip in gay clubs but you’d hear them at Taboo.

I’m not gay, and I’m not a transvestite.

If you listen to the debate, [Barack Obama] and [John] McCain said the same thing about gay rights.