New father Clay Aiken: “I cannot raise a child to lie or hide things.”

People Magazine is reporting that Clay Aiken is coming out of the closet, by appearing on its cover with his newborn.

The latest People shows Aiken holding his infant son, Parker Foster Aiken, with the headline: “Yes, I’m Gay.” The cover also has the quote: “I cannot raise a child to lie or hide things.”

People.com reports: The born-again Christian singer also reveals how he told his mother Faye he’s gay four years ago. After dropping off his younger brother Brett, who was being deployed to Iraq, at Camp Lejeune, “I started crying in the car,” Aiken remembers. “It was dark. I was sitting there, thinking to myself. I don’t know why I started thinking about it … I just started bawling. She made me pull over the car and it just came out.” So what was his mom’s reaction? “She started crying. She was obviously somewhat stunned. But she was very supportive and very comforting.” Even now, Aiken admits, “She still struggles with things quite a bit, but she’s come a long way.

Aiken, who gained fame as the runner-up on “American Idol” in 2003, rarely addressed the frequent rumors about his sexuality. In an interview with The AP two years ago, he said: “I don’t really feel like I have anybody to answer to but myself and God and the people I love.”

Clay recently released the CD “On My Way Here” and made his Broadway debut this spring in Monty Python’s Spamalot.