Ricky Martin: I want my kids to be gay
Ricky Martin and his family (Frazer Harrison/Getty)
Ricky Martin has said he hopes his children are gay.
The singer and actor came out after becoming a father to his twin sons, Matteo and Valentino, in 2008.
He has said their birth was a turning point, telling The Daily Show‘s host, Trevor Noah, earlier this year: “I had my kids, and then I said: ‘I have to come out – I mean, am I going to lie to these beautiful kids?’
Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef attend The 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards (Frazer Harrison/Getty)
“No, that’s not the point.”
And in a new interview with ABC, Ricky has said that being gay makes him “stronger,” and that he hopes his children will be too.
The 46-year-old, who starred in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story this year, said: “I don’t know, my kids are too young, but I wish they were gay.
Ricky Martin with his sons in 2009 (Pablo Alfaro/Ricky Martin via Getty)
“It is a very special thing. The sensitivity, the way I see now, that I don’t have to hide in any way shape or form.
“I see colours. And then you see the rainbow. I understand why the symbol is the rainbow,” he added.
“It’s just real. Eveything is tangible. It makes me a stronger person.’
Ricky encouraged those hiding their sexuality or gender identity to accept themselves and come out to others, recalling how positive it was for him to take that step in 2010.
Ricky Martin with his sons in 2009 (Pablo Alfaro/Ricky Martin via Getty)
“I always say this, I wish I could come out again,” he said. “Because it felt amazing. That moment when I wrote the letter and I posted it on Twitter, and I pressed send.
“The freedom, the feeling of liberation was so powerful, that’s what I mean by saying I wish I could come out again because it just felt amazing.
“And then after that, people coming to me and saying thank you so much for coming out. Because of you I understand my father better. I understand my sister better.
“So it’s an important thing to do.”
Ricky Martin at the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards (Rich Polk/Getty)
Earlier this year, Ricky revealed that friends had told him not to reveal his sexuality, for fear that it would destroy his career.
He said that it had been a long, excruciating process.
“It took me a while, it took me – look, I was surrounded by friends who were telling me: “Don’t! Don’t come out; that will be the end of your career,'” he said.
Ricky said there were “people who love me, people who mean well, people who were just victims of homophobia.
“I grew up in this culture which told me that my feelings were horrible, that my feelings were evil.
Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef (John Sciulli/Getty)
“And if you add to that the fact that I was like, a heartthrob, a sex symbol… everybody was telling me: ‘It’s going to be the end of your career.'”
Ricky married his partner Jwan Yosef in January.
The wedding was kept secret from the public, only being revealed when a reporter on the red carpet asked Ricky about it.
The Puerto Rican star spoke out about open relationships following his role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story as Versace’s partner Antonio D’Amico.
Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty)
The pair were together for 15 years, in an open relationship, which Ricky said he wanted to help “normalise.”
“It’s good for the world; it’s good for me as a gay man with kids,” he continued. “It’s important that we shed some light on power couples like this.”
Watch the interview below:
