The former REM frontman wrote: โ€œI am proud to be who I amโ€โ€ฆ

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Michael Stipe has published a blog on the 20th anniversary of his coming out.

Writing on The Guardian, Stipe reflected on the past two decades, commenting: โ€œThese 20 years of publicly speaking my truth have made me a better and easier person to be around. It helped develop the clarity of my voice and establish who I would be as an adult. I am proud to be who I am, and I am happy to have shared that with the world.โ€

Of his coming out, back in 1994, Stipe recalled: โ€œI said simply that I had enjoyed sex with men and women my entire adult life. It was a simple fact, and Iโ€™m happy I announced it. Not many public figures had stepped forward at this point to speak their truth. I was happy to stand beside those who had. What I had thought was fairly obvious the entire time I had been a public figure was now on record. It was a great relief.โ€

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He also wrote about how thoughts on sexuality had changed over the years. โ€œIn 1994, most people had a largely binary perception of sexuality โ€“ the message was complicated for them,โ€ he stated. โ€œI am thrilled to see how much this has changed in those 20 years. The 21st century has provided all of us, recent generations particularly, with a clearer idea of the breadth of fluidity with which sexuality and identity presents itself in each individual.โ€ Read the full post by clicking here.