Darren Hayes Announces He Is Gay

That's right folks. Aussie pop singer Darren is flipping channels and making some changes in his life. A few weeks ago, he split with Sony Music to start recording his new album independently. But he had even bigger news in store for fans this week. On his web site, he posted a letter yesterday that announces he married his boyfriend Richard last month.

"I very rarely make comments about my private life," he writes. "On June 19th 2006 I married my boyfriend of two years, Richard, in a Civil Partnership ceremony in London. I can honestly say it was the happiest day of my life.I feel lucky to live in an era where my relationship can be considered legally legitimate and I commend the UK Government for embracing this very basic Civil Liberty."

After meeting Darren and talking about his private life, I've always respected his wish for privacy. "Because you sleep with a certain person, it doesn't mean you have to reveal everything to the entire world. I'm sure you have an opinion about my sexuality, and that doesn't bother me," he told ArjanWrites in March. "The people that are dear to me know if I'm gay or straight. And that's what is important to me."

I commend him for finally coming out of the closet and sharing his hapineness with his fans and others. What the world needs are more role models and Darren is a good one to have. Congratulations to Darren and Richard! (And I guess I can finally close this discussion.)