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"At long last, Sean Maher is out and proud!\r\nThe 36-year-old Playboy Club actor announced that he&amp;apos;s gay on Monday -- and he&amp;apos;s also the proud father of two children, Sophia Rose, 4, and Liam Xavier, 14 months, with his partner of nine years, Paul.\r\n\r\n&amp;quot;This is my coming out ball,&amp;quot; Maher told Entertainment Weekly of his decision to reveal his sexual orientation. &amp;quot;I&amp;apos;ve been dying to do this.&amp;quot;\r\nThough Maher said he&amp;apos;s never been asked about his sexuality in interviews, &amp;quot;I would be lying if I said I didn&amp;apos;t paint a different picture.&amp;quot;When Maher moved to L.A. in 1997 to kick start his acting career, his team assumed he was straight -- and he was too afraid to tell them the truth.\r\n\r\n&amp;quot;Right before I left New York, I had my manager tell me: &amp;apos;You need to get a girl on your arm or people will start talking.&amp;apos; I remember telling him: &amp;apos;I&amp;apos;m gay.&amp;apos; He had no idea. And he said: &amp;apos;All the more reason to get a girl on your arm.&amp;apos; My agent was also like, &amp;apos;It&amp;apos;s best if you keep your options open. Maybe bisexual?&amp;apos;&amp;quot;\r\nMaher decided to stay in the closet because he feared being out would ruin his acting career. &amp;quot;I went so far as to sleep with women a couple times,&amp;quot; he admitted. &amp;quot;It was a very confusing time for me.&amp;quot;\r\n&amp;quot;It was so exhausting, and I was so miserable. I didn&amp;apos;t really have any life other than work and this facade I was putting on,&amp;quot; he explained. &amp;quot;I just kept going on and on painting this picture of somebody I wasn&amp;apos;t. I didn&amp;apos;t have time for a personal relationship anyway. And you just don&amp;apos;t realize that it&amp;apos;s eating away at your soul.&amp;quot;\r\n\r\nThe actor -- who has since parted ways with his original agent and manager -- credited his family for giving him the courage to come out publicly.\r\n&amp;quot;I have these beautiful children and this extraordinary family,&amp;quot; Maher told Entertainment Weekly. &amp;quot;To think in any way shape or form that that&amp;apos;s wrong or that there&amp;apos;s shame in that or that there&amp;apos;s something to hide actually turns my stomach.&amp;quot;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/the-playboy-clubs-sean-maher-reveals-hes-gay-2011269>