Ricky Martin in OUT 100: 'I Was Seduced by Fear' of Coming Out

OUT's editor Aaron Hicklin sends over some shots from the magazine's OUT 100 issue. This year's cover (below) features Ricky Martin, Johnny Weir, Julianne Moore, Nate Berkus, and Rachel Maddow.

Says Hicklin: "This is my fifth Out 100 as editor, and only the fourth time we have undertaken to shoot all 100 people, a truly major undertaking, and I really couldn’t be more thrilled with the breadth and variety of honorees this year, from familiar figures like Chris Colfer, T.R.Knight, the Scissor Sisters and Rufus Wainwright to newsmakers like Chris Armstrong, the president of the University of Michigan (and target of harassment from the state’s deputy attorney general), Thai director and 2010 Palme D’Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Disney studio head Rich Ross, and David Cicilline, the newly-elected congressman for Providence, R.I., and only the fourth openly gay member of Congress (the other three—Barney Frank, Jared Leto*, and Tammy Baldwin—all appeared in last year’s Out 100)."

*Note: obviously Aaron meant Jared Polis.

Says Martin: "Something as simple as standing at that (gay rights group's) dinner and saying, ‘I’m gay,’ creates so may emotions I’ve never felt before. I didn’t do it earlier because of fear, and bottom line it was all in my head. I was seduced by fear and I was sabotaging most of my life—my music, my relationships with my friends, with my family, with everybody. That’s something I need to share because I know that a lot of people are going through what I went through, no matter what their age, and fear cannot control us."

Check out the portraits of Julianne Moore and Johnny Weir, AFTER THE JUMP...

News: Johnny Weir, Modern Family, Porn, Focus On The Family

Man attemps to mace Fred Phelps' group at soldier's funeral: "Officers on duty for the funeral say Vogel drove up in his Ford F-150 pick-up truck and as he was passing by Westboro Baptist Church protesters he extended his arm out the truck's window and sprayed a large amount of mace into the air from an industrial-sized container."

Weir Johnny Weir is still dodging questions about his sexuality: “'I’m completely self-sufficient,' he says. 'I don’t need anyone for anything. I can have sex with myself, I can love myself, I can do all those things myself. The importance that people place on me not having another half even if it’s just for sex, it’s irrelevant to me. It’s very old-school. When you put people in boxes, you take away a lot of who that person is.'"

Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson says that the show's much-anticipated gay smooch episode has been shot: "Yes, we filmed the kiss episode. It's a very organic kiss. People are going to be very surprised when they see it."

Alexander Skarsgard arrives at LAX looking as cool as ever.

The beautiful men of gay pornography are becoming less homogeneous.

Get ready for Kylie's Les Folies Tour in 2011.

Pennsylvania makes a progressive decision about driver's licenses for transgenders in that state.

Jane Lynch's purple number on the read carpet.

Edinburgh rugby player Alex Grove tweets a preview of what you'll see in the team's 2011 calendar come Christmas-time.

If you only watched Fox News last week, you wouldn't even know about Ken Mehlman's coming out.

Crispin Blunt's recent coming out has apparently "completely traumatised" his unsuspecting wife.

Focus on the Family plays the victim card: "We feel more and more that activists are being deceptive in using anti-bullying rhetoric to introduce their viewpoints, while the viewpoint of Christian students and parents are increasingly belittled."

Rihanna has an unfortunate run-in with a curling iron.

Indonesian volcano erupts for the first time in 400 years.

News: Climbing, Jack Mackenroth, El Paso, Evan Lysacek, Illinois

Signorile: How the Right manipulated the media over Judge Walker's sexuality.

Former Project Runway designer and HIV activist Jack Mackenroth won seven medals at the Gay Games in Cologne, Germany this week.

Simon Cowell shows off his manscaping skillz.

Broadway Impact hosting major Prop 8 ruling celebration at Therapy in NYC tonight from 7-9: "Currently scheduled to take part in the celebration are Hunter Bell, Heidi Blickenstaff, Susan Blackwell, Nick Adams, Shayna Steele, Will Taylor, Jose Llana and Jason Tam. A question-and-answer session will include Richard Socarides (former advisor to President Clinton) and newly crowned Miss New York Claire Buffie (she is running on a gay rights platform for the first time in Miss America history)."

Jane Lynch to host SNL.

El Paso, Texas voters to decide November 2 if domestic partners employed by the city are eligible for health benefits: "The topic has become a heated battle between those for and against the decision by El Paso City Council made months back. Many against the decision claim the city is endorsing homosexual lifestyles, and have been fighting to overturn council's decision."

Evan Lysacek: The "verdict is still out" on Johnny Weir's gender.

Robbie Williams tied the knot.

 A gay Mormon couple thanks Judge Walker.

Details on the Google - Verizon internet policy proposal. Neutrality nixed for wireless.

Equality Illionois PAC endorses Illinois Governor Pat Quinn: "The endorsement highlights what gay rights advocates say are significant differences between Quinn and his Republican opponent, state Sen. Bill Brady, on issues of importance to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. 'I think this is one of the most important elections ever, because the choices for our community are markedly different. We have a guy who opposed fairness and equality and a guy who spent his entire career standing up for all Illinoisans,' public policy director for Equality Illinois, Rick Garcia told ChicagoPride.com."

A shift in Orthodox Jewish attitudes toward gay people?

Male model fix: Janice Fronimakis.

A report on the recent Homoclimb.

Evidence that Arizona's SB1070 has gone into effect...

YouthPride Atlanta calls on gubernatorial candidate Nathan Deal to stop elevating the gay-bashing in his race against Karen Deal, and to stop lying about anti-bullying gay youth group.

Ryan Gosling, sitting around looking beautiful.

A review of the Neil Patrick Harris-directed production of Rent at the Hollywood Bowl.

Target stock sinks after boycott: "Shares in the Minneapolis-based discount retailer have declined 3.5 percent since the morning of July 27, when Target Chief Executive Gregg Steinhafel first defended the donation, prompting critics to call for a consumer boycott. Its shares were off 1.5 percent Tuesday, closing at $50.98...Target spokeswoman Jenn Glass said Tuesday that the shifting stock price reflects 'too many factors that we can't attribute it to just one thing.'"

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #695

FOX HOST ANDREW NAPOLITANO: Bush and Cheney should have been indicted.

DANCE: Brazilian competition features male partners and a kiss.

SEDATE: Johnny Weir on his personal style...

WARNING: This may be seared into your retinas forever.

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.

Johnny Weir: "I Am Not Going To Change Something I Love Because Someone Tells Me It's Wrong"

Don't get too excited—he was talking about wearing fur.

Three-time U.S. National Champion and Olympic skater Johnny Weir has recorded a song called "Dirty Love" and is working on an autobiography that's coming in 2011. He opens up (but not all the way) to Out. 

On his fur-loving ways:

"[Animal rights groups] have their choice to support activism and to speak their minds, and I have the right to speak my mind too. I'm not passionate about learning about the fur farms and how the animals get killed. I'm passionate about fashion, and fur is a big part of that. I'm also a winter athlete. You can't go walk the streets of Moscow when it's minus 30 and wear some type of plastic. You need a natural warm thing. I am not going to change something I love because someone tells me it's wrong."

On his sexuality:

"I've always been comfortable with who I am. When it comes to my sexuality, I just finished the chapter in my book [to be released in January] about my sexuality and my idea of it. I haven't discussed it—not because I'm ashamed of anything you'll read about when my book comes out—I just don't want to put it out there in a way where someone can twist my words. While I don't believe in masculinity and femininity, I don't believe in a purely gay person or a purely straight person. I have a very clear opinion of my own sexuality. I'm not saying anything about my sexuality because I want it to be out there in my own words."

He's not saying anything because he wants to be the one to say it, got it?

Watch: Johnny Weir Taunts PETA with Look into His Furry Closet

Figure skater Johnny Weir switched to faux fur at last year's Olympics after threats of disruption from animal rights groups, but a new video for Bluefly.com may very well reignite their anger.

Said Weir in January: "I totally get the dirtiness of the fur industry and how terrible it is to animals. But it's not something that's the No. 1 priority in my life. There are humans dying everyday. There are thousands if not millions of homeless people in New York City. Look at what just happened in Haiti. I tend to focus my energy, if there is a cause, on humans. While that may be callous and bad of me, it's my choice."

In the new "Closet Confessions" video for Bluefly, Weir declares his love for fur, showing off a collection of his clothes made of python, beaver, fox, lynx, and a Balenciaga "tree" of leather bags.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...