DNA Magazine (AU)
Issue # 83, December 2006
Truly Madly Deeply Out
By Marc Andrews

Thanks to Kate for scanning the pages from the magazine. :)
I've also typed up the article below for those of you that need to use a translator to read the text.

Truly Madly Deeply Out
Darren Hayes busted out of the closet this year and promptly married his man.
"What took you so long?" asks Marc Andrews

On July 17, former Savage Garden singer and solo artist Darren Hayes posted a notice on his website saying that on June 19 he'd married his partner of two years, Richard Cullen, in a civil ceremony partnership in London. It was effectively his long-awaited coming out. Ironically the announcement of his wedding came just days after he divorced himself from his record company. Darren says the two events were not related.

"I've always been a private person," he explains. "If you look at the definition of what a celebrity is, I've never lived up to that. For me, the great thing about the civil union is it socially legitimizes our relationship. This is a permanent part of my life and I wanted to let my audience know. I also wanted my audience to know I wasn't ashamed of it. That wasn't me coming out. I was at a place in my life where I was in a very solid and beautiful relationship."

Darren has no time for those who claim marriage is a nasty heterosexual institution we gays shouldn't be aping.

"I don't see it that way at all," he says. "First of all, I'm a human being and my sexuality doesn't limit or define me. That's part of the reason I've never defined myself as a gay person publicly. I would never want people to view my art through one prism or lens. My getting married to Richard is about a commitment we made to grow old together, to be monogamous and to tell the people we love, our friends and family, that this is a permanent relationship."

It's worth noting Darren was previously married to a woman.

"I see myself as a pretty evolved human being", he chuckles. "For me, sexuality is something that was slow dawning. If there's ever been any question or insinuation I tried to hide my sexuality I take offense at that. I was still working myself out. I'm very lucky I've had two very significant relationship in my life."

Growing up in Woodridge, Queensland, Darren says he didn't even know what a gay person was.

"I thought everybody thought Dirk Benedict on Battlestar Galactica was cute," he laughs. I absolutely fell in love with my wife and I'm proud of that relationship. I was a big deal for me to end that relationship. I felt like a complete failure. When I left my marriage I felt alienated because I didn't feel gay and didn't understand who I was, or have any role models. I was traveling around the world and for many years was sad. I'm a traditionalist at heart and would love to have kids. There are a lot of stereotypes and unfortunately they were the only ones I thought about being gay. I didn't fit those and wondered how I could be gay. It took me years to realize those stereotypes are full of cliche's."

Thankfully Darren's much happier now, in part because he's met "the one".

"Of course it does make a difference," he agrees. "I don't think I would have met Richard if I hadn't gone through all of that."

As for the new album for the new record label he's currently working on in London, Darren insists it wont' be a double album of love songs dedicated to his husband.

"Richard is a huge part of my life and my relationship affects the way I see the world, but the things I talk about, I hope, are of a broader spectrum than just that," he points out, before adding, "I feel my best work is ahead of me."

Darren on Scissor Sisters
"I love them, but no approaches from them yet. I tend to stalk people who would never consider working with me. I stalked Daft Punk for years but they never responded."

Darren on George Michael
"I like George Michael and I know him. I'm not really sure if we have that much in common apart from the fact that we're both tenors...and that we're gay. George has been through so much more than I've been through. He's a helluva lot more famous than I could handle being.

Darren on Delta
"She's adorable and I'd loved to do a duet with her, but I'm pretty hard to pair up with other artists."

Darren on Mardi Gras
"I've done it before and loved it. The last couple of years I've had some amazing experiences with gay audiences. I was just in Stockholm this year of Gay Pride and it was mind blowing."

Darren on drag
"I would make a very ugly woman, let's be very honest about that. I barely make a presentable male!"

Darren Hayes' two new DVD's - Too Close For Comfort (his 2002 European tour doco) and A Big Night In (his 2006 Sydney Opera House concerts) are out now through Roadshow Music.

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