Puerto Rico's
all-time top-selling artist, Ricky Martin, defended the
right of gay pop stars to come out of the closet as he
toured Mexico and geared up for his ''Black and
White'' tour across the United States. In an interview
with the Associated Press in Mexico City, Martin said he
felt solidarity with Mexican Christian Sanchez, a singer of
the group RBD who recently publicly said he was gay.
''Life is too
short to live closed up, guarding what you say,'' Martin
said. Christian ''has to be free in many aspects. I wish him
much strength.''
The media in
Puerto Rico has long speculated that Martin is gay, but he
has avoided commenting on the topic.
Martin said his
foundation People for Children, which helps exploited
children worldwide, inspires him in his songwriting. ''When
you start to work with social problems, it gets the
attention of the media and people think it's a
farce,'' he said. ''It's a spiritual search. The
philanthropic work helps me write music, and the music helps
me in the philanthropic work.''
The singer, named
Person of the Year in 2006 by the Latin Recording
Academy, said it is great that more and more celebrities are
working with charities. ''If this is a fashion, then I
hope a lot more fashions like this come along,'' he
said.
Martin will tour
in the United States from San Jose, Calif., to
Miami in April and May. (Istra Pacheco, AP)
