Three openly gay contestants on the NBC reality contest The Voice remain in competition after a fourth was eliminated early on.

Twenty-year-old Tyler Robinson, who came out gay to this father on the show's premiere, was eliminated in a battle against Patrick Thomas.

But Martinez, Nakia and McClellan advanced through the battle rounds and are expected to return next week when the show goes live.

Seattle resident Martinez, 26, who advanced after besting Niki Dawson, has said she never considered hiding her sexuality.

“I'm not going to hide it,” Martinez told lesbian entertainment website AfterEllen.com. “I've been very public about it and I've had people say, 'Well, why don't you just keep them guessing?' You can hit all the markets.' No. Especially if you're with somebody; it's so disrespectful. It was hard for me coming out to my parents. And for me, I've already gone through that hurdle, and I'm not going to go through it again.”

McClellan, 41, agreed, adding that she would never deny her partner: “She's my every day. I would never deny her. I don't live like that. She is my life. It was a no-brainer for me. I'm going to live who I am.”

Thirty-six-year-old Nakia also appeared on the program with his partner of nine years, Robert.

“I got an email yesterday from a friend of mine who saw the show and was very moved by the fact that there was just kind of this nonchalant thing in the way that Robert and I appeared on the show and there wasn't any special attention given to it or anything. But that reminded me about how people out there in America, especially young teenagers out there who are coming out of the closet might see me and have some kind of hope that it’s okay to be who you are and be with the person you love on television or wherever you are,” he told gay male entertainment website AfterElton.com.

Nakia and Martinez are being mentored on the show by Cee Lo Green, while McClellan is on Christina Aguilera's team. McClellan and Nakia were among the four contestants picked by TV Guide to win the contest. But don't rule Martinez out. Her battle performance rocked the judges and gained her legions of fans.