Ricky Martin Addresses Anti-LGBTQ Comments: 'Fear No Longer Paralyzes Me'

Ricky Martin took to Instagram Monday to respond to the hate comments he had received last week after sharing pictures of him and his husband, Jwan Yosef.

Posting photos of himself wearing silver jewelry and long acrylic nails, Martin admitted he did not expect his pictures with his husband to draw derogatory comments from haters of the LGBTQ community.

Several people stopped following him after he shared the photos with Yosef, making him feel the same fear he felt before he decided to come out as gay, he further revealed. “That same fear that paralyzed me, tormented me, and would not let me be,” he said.

Martin said, however, that what he feels now is “full peace” of being able to celebrate himself. “To celebrate me as I am, regardless of what they will say,” he said in the caption. “And that fear that I just talked about no longer paralyzes me. On the contrary, it gives me much more strength and pushes me to continue working for the well-being of millions of people who suffer every day due to lack of acceptance,” he added.

The Puerto Rican singer went on to say, after coming out of the closet, he now feels stronger and more inspired to continue speaking for those who suffer due to prejudice and lack of education. What he most hopes for in life is for all people to feel free, proud of themselves, happy, loved, respected, and accepted, and to be able to express themselves “without retaliation or being punished,” he noted.

“It is not fair to continue losing valuable lives due to prejudice and lack of education,” he stated. He also addressed people who feel lost or not valued for being who they are and want to be. “They are not alone, there is a great community that awaits them with open arms,” he said. “They are worth a lot, please, do not forget #pride #pridemonth #loveislove,” he added.

Martin came out as gay in 2010, after many years of dodging rumors about his sexual orientation. He tied the knot with Swedish artist Yosef in 2017, and the couple is now parents to four children, Valentino, 12, Matteo, 12, Lucia, 2, and Renn, 1.