"But I knew that I felt different inside and that those feelings weren’t the same as other boys..."
Mariah Carey helped four-time Olympic World Champion Kerron Clement cope with being homosexual through her music.
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| Credit: Courtesy of Mariah Carey/Instagram |
In an interview with Today, Kerron said he was already aware of his sexual orientation when he was 11 years old, but he wasn't ready to tell anyone.
The olympian described growing up not knowing any gay men. He was also unaware of any gays in his community or on television.
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| Credit: Kerron Clement/Instagram |
“But I knew that I felt different inside and that those feelings weren’t the same as other boys, so I was afraid and kept it to myself,” Kerron added.
One artist, in particular, struck a chord with him particularly as he was feeling sad and frightened.
“I listened to a lot of Mariah Carey,” Kerron said. “I related a lot to the lyrics on her Butterfly album, particularly a song called ‘Outside’ that’s about not fitting in. I would listen to it nonstop.”
Kerron said he understood that Mariah was singing about her biracial identity, but it still resonated with him as a feeling he had about his sexual identity.
This made my day 😭❤️🌈 https://t.co/rZIhAFZiBu
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) June 1, 2021
Mariah acknowledged the sweet message and responded so endearingly on Twitter. With a crying emoji, heart emoji, and rainbow emoji, the singer wrote, “This made my day.”
In 2019, Kerron reportedly became the first male track and field competitor to come out while participating. In June, he will compete at the Olympic Trials.
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