While the gossip rags pat themselves on the backs for claiming to know Clay Aiken was gay the first time he stepped onto the American Idol stage five years ago, the singer's admission in the upcoming issue of People magazine that he is indeed homosexual raises some larger issues for the LGBT community. In a statement, Executive Director of the Family Equality Council Jennifer Chrisler said: "Much like Rosie O'Donnell, the announcement that Clay Aiken is gay reinforces a simple reality: the American public can no longer say it does not know a gay or lesbian parent. Clay Aiken's desire to raise a child in an open and honest manner will make his life, and his son's, all the better. We hope he and his son find all the happiness they deserve, and the Family Equality Council will work toward the day that Clay and Parker Foster Aiken can enjoy the same rights as other American families." Long before he chose to father a child with his 50-year-old female pal Jaymes Foster, many in the media and the public suspected Aiken was gay, and even before pictures from a webcam conversation surfaced online, it was pretty obvious that Aiken was not a ladies man. The idea that Aiken and O'Donnell are gay isn't all that shocking; teenage girls across the country likely won't be burning their Measure of a Man CDs in the town square this week. But what about the countless other actors, musicians and politicians who have (thus far successfully) kept their sexuality under wraps? Humanizing the face of the LGBT community is the first step toward tolerance and acceptance and as long as public figures in positions of power bite their tongues, the cycle of silence, violence and fear will continue.