Ricky Martin Comes Out

Puerto Rican pop singer Ricky Martin came out of the closet today on his Web site. But the story of real import may be this: What are the economic consequences of a male pop star coming out?
On his site, Martin writes that associates warned him about opening up his personal life because of the risk to his career and image. He wrote on his Web site: “Many people told me: ‘Ricky it’s not important’, ‘it’s not worth it’, ‘all the years you’ve worked and everything you’ve built will collapse’, ‘many people in the world are not ready to accept your truth, your reality, your nature.’”
Speakeasy decided to take a look at a few male pop and rock stars who have announced that they are gay to see how their careers fared before and after their public revelations:
Elton John
Before: A Grammy-winning pop star who sold millions of records world-wide.
After: A Grammy-winning pop star who still sells millions of records world-wide and also writes music for hit musicals like “The Lion King,” “Aida,” and “Billy Elliot,” and the movie version of “The Lion King.” And he’s Sir Elton now.