Singer Lance Bass has revealed that he's known he's gay since the age of 5.

Bass made his remarks Saturday in accepting an Upstander Award at Time to THRIVE, an LGBT youth conference hosted by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and held at Bally's Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“You know growing up in the South, although I did feel very safe, I had a secret,” Bass said. “Ever since I was 5 years old one of my memories, I knew I was gay. And I also knew that I would have to hide it the rest of my life. And that it was wrong. I didn't know why it was wrong, I just knew it was wrong.”

Bass received a round of applause when he said “God … made me gay.”

He also encouraged young teens to start gay-straight clubs in their communities. (The video is embedded on this page. Visit our video library for more videos.)