Filipina singer and "Glee" actress, Charice Pempengco, opened up about her sexuality in a recent interview.
According to People, the revelation occurred in an interview on Sunday night with "The Buzz", a Filipino talk show hosted by Boy Abunda. When asked by Abunda if she is a lesbian, Pempengco replied in Tagalog, her native language, "Yes...I am."
"I have deep gratitude for the Filipinos because they are the ones who know who I really am. ... I don't know what the problem is because for me, there is no problem with that. So now I ask for forgiveness from those who don't understand. And those who cannot accept. I apologize: I understand you," said Pempengco on choosing to come out on the Filipino talk show.
"To those who could accept, and who could accept me, thank you very, very much. I just want to say to all of you that I feel very light - that I can leave the house knowing I am not hiding anything," she said. "I love myself, that's why I'm able to do this."
Media reports claim Pempengco's mother recently gave her permission to come out and "expose her true self", although both are said to be estranged from each other at this time.
The 21-year-old Pempengco, who rose to fame through Youtube in her early teens, released her debut album "Charice" in 2010. Her second album "Infinity" included a song written by Bruno Mars. While pursuing her music career, she has also appeared on the second season of "Glee", playing the role of Sunshine Corazon. Pempengco came in for some criticism earlier this year for sporting a new short haircut and masculine clothes, which she defended as "edgy and rock".
On June 1, ABS-CBN News posted a video of Pempengco on Youtube, captioned "Newly 'out' Charice has message for fans". "I just want to say 'thank you' personally to all my fans, to all the people who are still supporting me, who're still there for me. Honestly, I'm very very happy, I can't explain how happy I am right now, hearing all the positive things," said the singer in the video.
