American
Idol finalist Rayvon Owen came out gay on Valentine's Day.
In the final moments of the video for
Owen's new single, Can't
Fight It, the 24-year-old kisses another man, played by
activist Shane Bitney Crone.
(Related: Gay
film Bridegroom
wins Tribeca's Heineken audience award.)
In an interview with Billboard
released to coincide with the video, Owen, who finished fourth in
season 14 of American Idol, said that he had only “omitted”
the truth about his sexuality.
“I was afraid,” he said. “Here's
a show that reaches so many people, including a lot of small town,
conservative people, who grew up in the same environment I grew up
in. I was afraid that if I shared this part of my life, would people
vote for me? It's sad that I had to think that.”
Owen said that he had grown up in the
church and had “tried to pray the gay away” until he realized
that “there's no sense in fighting anymore.”