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George Michael helped a generation realise it was okay to be gay

George Michael was an inspiration for those who found it difficult to express their sexuality, especially in a time when being LGBTQ was stigmatized.

Johnny Lieu

on December 25, 2016

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

George Michael, who died at home Sunday, was an inspiration for those who found it difficult to express their sexuality, especially in a time when being LGBTQ was stigmatized. For many kids growing up in the '90s, he was one of the first publicly gay people they knew.

But it wasn't always that way. The 53-year-old kept his sexuality hidden for years, but came out in 1998 following a well-publicized incident where he was arrested by Los Angeles police for a public sex act.

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"This is as good of a time as any," he told CNN at the time. "I want to say that I have no problem with people knowing that I'm in a relationship with a man right now. I have not been in a relationship with a woman for almost 10 years."

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George Michael took ownership of the incident by recreating it in his music video for "Outside" released that same year. He became a trailblazer for LGBTQ acceptance. And that was the case even before he came out. "Freedom '90," one of the most memorable pride songs, was released years before George Michael came out.

But coming out wasn't easy for George Michael, who had struggled to show his true self to his family. “For some strange reason, my gay life didn’t get easier when I came out. Quite the opposite happened, really," he told the BBC.

With the news of his death, LGBTQ people took to Twitter to express how much he meant to them and the countless others who he helped realise that it's okay to be gay.