Aaron Carter Reveals He Is Attracted to Men and Women in Emotional Letter to Fans: 'This Doesn't Bring Me Shame'

People
Updated

Aaron Carter is opening up about his sexuality.

The singer and younger brother of Backstreet Boys heartthrob Nick Carter revealed in a tweet on Saturday that he is attracted to both men and women.

“To start off, I would like to say that I love each and EVERY ONE of my fans,” Carter, 29, began his post, which was a screenshot of the Apple Notes app. “There’s something I’d like to say that I feel is important for myself and my identity that has been weighing on my chest for nearly half of my life.

“This doesn’t bring me shame, just a weight and burden I have held onto for a long time that I would like lifted off me,” he continued.

“I grew up in this entertainment industry at a very young age and when I was around 13-years-old I started to find boys and girls attractive,” Carter, who had high-profile relationships with Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff when he was younger, wrote. “There were years that went by that I thought about, but it wasn’t until I was 17-years-old, after a few relationships with girls, I had an experience with a male that I had an attraction to who I also worked with and grew up with.

“To me music has always been my temple,” he continued. “Music will ALWAYS be what transcends us and myself. The studio has always been my safe haven. But the ultimate goal for me is to be satisfied. I never want to be a figure of disappointment. The best quote to sum ‘I’ve never felt as though I didn’t belong, I just acted as though I did.’ —Boy George.”

RELATED VIDEO: Aaron Carter Says Medical Condition Is Keeping Him Skinny

It’s been a dramatic summer for Carter. He was arrested on July 15 on suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana. He denies that he was under the influence while driving, claiming that he was experiencing car troubles. His girlfriend, Madison Parker, was with him that night and was also arrested.

In June, Carter was briefly hospitalized for exhaustion and spoke out against critics who had been body-shaming his thin frame, which he says is the result of a hiatal hernia that he was diagnosed with when he was 19.