Now that Clay Aiken is a dad, he's setting a good example by owning up to his sexuality.

The "American Idol" runner up has come out of the closet, finally confirming long-held speculation that he's gay, reports People.

"It was the first decision I made as a father," says Aiken, 29. "I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn't raised that way, and I'm not going to raise a child to do that."

Aiken wants to reassure his fans, "I've never intended to lie to anybody at all. ... But if they leave, I don't want them to leave hating me." He acknowledges, however, that the news will be hard for some to take. "Whether it be having a child out of wedlock, or whether it be simply being a homosexual, it's going to be a lot," he says.

On Aug. 8, Aiken became the father of Parker Foster Aiken, a son conceived through in vitro fertilization with his best friend, music producer Jaymes Foster.

"I have no idea if [Parker will] be gay or straight," say Aiken. "It's not something I'll have anything to do with, or that he'll have anything to do with. It's already probably up inside the code there ... No matter what the situation you're in, if you're raised in a loving environment, that's the most important thing."

The rest of this story and details on how the singer came out to his mother are in the Friday issue of People.

Aiken returned to the stage last week to play Sir Robin in "Monty Python's Spamalot."