How old was Jake Shears when he came out?

American singer, Jake Shears came out as gay to his parents when he was just 15 years old. According to him, he was advised by Dan Savage to take such a bold step. However, Savage later shared that the advice was “the worst I’ve ever given.”

During his college education, he studied fiction writing and wrote pieces for the gay magazine HX.

Shears once shared in an interview that to spoke to his good friend Anderson Cooper and said he felt gay celebrities “at least have the responsibilities to come out.”

He was once in a longtime romantic relationship with movie director, Chris Moukarbel which lasted for 11 years; from 2004 to 2015.

Shears worked as a music reviewer for Paper Magazine in 2000. He, along with Scott Hoffman formed Scissors Sisters in 2001 as a performance art stunt, playing outrageous shows in clubs like Luxx, the heart of the electroclash scene in Williamsburg Brooklyn.

He often shared that he was influenced by several musicians including The Bee Gees, Leo Sayer, ABBA, Blondie, David Bowie, Duran Duran, Roxy Music, Cher, Dolly Parton, and more.