Technically, Backstreet Boy AJ McLean is a fag stag, but we’ll let him pick his label! In a recent interview with PrideSource, AJ opens up about the gays’ love for the Backstreet Boys and the Backstreet Boys’ love for the gays:
On discovering the Backstreet Boys had a big gay following:
We did a show years ago in Ybor City in Tampa and Divine Brown — the girl who messed around with Hugh Grant back in the day (laughs) — was hosting a drag show. We actually had no idea. We were all really young. Kevin (Richardson) was obviously older, so he had been around all his gays at Disney (when he worked there before Backstreet Boys) and he had been around drag queens before Nick (Carter) and me. We were in our trailer and we were watching these guys changing. We thought these were chicks — and all of a sudden they were taking off their clothes and I’m like, “Wait, that girl’s got, like, pecs. And oh, that’s a penis.” I was like, “What the hell is going on?”
We did three or four songs, the crowd went nuts and I was standing next to this 6-foot-6 drag queen who gave me a hug and a kiss. I was beside myself, and that was when we first knew that we had a big gay following. I was just like, “Wow, this is kind of friggin’ crazy.” Thinking back on it, I’ve been in this business since I was 3 and I grew up in musical theater, so I was raised and surrounded by gay men and gay women. I was hardly around anyone straight.
On being a fag hag:
Everyone always says, “When you look at a boy band, one of them has to be gay.” No, they don’t. Instead of me being gay, I’m the fag hag.
On the Backstreet Boys’ gay devotion:
I think it’s awesome. It’s great. I’ve worn a dress at my wedding. I’ve worn 6-inch Louboutins. I’ve got no fear and no shame. There’s one guy named Matt and he’s a big, big Nick Carter fan. He’s this older gentleman from Tampa and he’s gay, and he’s been following us during this whole tour from China to Japan and now through the U.S. I think he really hopes that Nick might have a little bit of gay.
On a possible side career as a drag queen:
I thought about it. I thought it might be fun to do a music video where I’m a drag queen, but I got a thing with my facial hair. I don’t like to shave. Also, I might be the ugliest drag queen you’ve ever seen.
Oh, trust me, I’ve shaved my legs before. My poor wife hates me because she’s like, “You have better legs than most women I know.”
And I can walk in heels. I was a little wobbly at first. I was like a baby calf, but then I figured it out. I don’t see how women walk heel to toe in friggin’ heels, so, for me, I walk toe to heel. It’s weird. I walk like a stork, but at least I’m not falling down.
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