AceShowbiz -

Playing it coy about his sexual orientation, Clay Aiken is coming out of the closet, officially confirming the long persistent rumors that he actually is gay. The pop singer broke his revelation in an interview with People magazine, which is set to run on its website Wednesday, September 24.

Photo of Clay on the cover of the upcoming issue of People has been leaked. He is featured on it cradling his newborn son, Parker Foster Aiken, in his arms, with the headline that read "Yes, I'm gay." The cover also quoted him as saying, "I cannot raise a child to lie or hide things."

Despite the leaked cover shoot, a spokeswoman for People would neither confirm nor deny that Clay told the magazine he is gay. But the magazine issued a statement saying, "We can confirm that Clay Aiken and his son appear on the next cover of People. For the complete story, visit people.com at 7 A.M. (EDT Wednesday) (1100 GMT) morning."

Clay gained his worldwide fame in 2003 as the runner-up on "American Idol". He has long been the subject of speculation that he's gay, but he prefers to remain silent about his sexuality.

In late May this year, his sexual orientation came under increased scrutiny after it was confirmed that he artificially inseminated his record producer and best friend Jaymes Foster, who has produced several of his CDs. In early August he announced in a post on his blog the birth their baby, Parker Foster Aiken. "The little man is healthy, happy, and as loud as his daddy. Mama Jaymes is doing quite well also. The Aiken family, the Foster family, and the Parker family are all thrilled," so he wrote about the infant.