Now that Lance Bass from 'N Sync has officially decided to proclaim his gayness to the world, he's inadvertently spoiled one of the world's favourite games: the Guess Which Is The Gay Boyband Member game. So we're annoyed with Lance Bass, but his friends aren't.

All the former members of 'N Sync have issued statements praising the courage that Lance Bass has shown by telling the world that he was gay a full five years after anyone had even thought about buying an 'N Sync record. Well, we say 'all of 'N Sync', but only Justin Timberlake and Joey Fatone seem to have actually done it. There were other members of 'N Sync, right?

It's never really a surprise when a singer comes out as gay; after all, they do spend much of their lives learning frilly dance routines and miming to mass-produced songs on Saturday morning TV shows. Says us, who spend most of our lives being vaguely catty about Jessica Simpson's manjaw. Anyway, loads of pop singers are gay, this much we know.

The only real surprise is how these gay singers decide to come out. George Michael in his pre-bush sex days, for example, told the world that he was gay by slapping his willy around at a policeman. Darren Hayes from Savage Garden, on the other hand, came out by getting married to his boyfriend and then not telling anyone for a month. And then there's Lance Bass from 'N Sync. Lance Bass suffered in silence for the entire lifetime of 'N Sync and then – once he was definitely sure that 'N Sync were never going to get back together – announced he was gay in a magazine.

But just because nobody really cares whether Lance Bass is gay or not, it doesn't mean that his old 'N Sync buddies can't still put out a bunch of supportive statements. After all, they had to put up with three years of Lance Bass hiding his sexuality, so they may as well get in on all the publicity he's receiving. Justin Timberlake – the only famous one from 'N Sync – took time out from not splitting up with Cameron Diaz and making up rubbish album titles to say via his slave Ken Sunshine:

"Lance is one of my great friends. I support him and wish him all the happiness in the world." 

Meanwhile, Joey Fatone – who was apparently in 'N Sync too – has said:

"He took years to really think about how he was going to tell everyone. I back him up 100 percent."

Not sure where the statements of support for Lance Bass from the other two members of 'N Sync – JC Chasez and Chris Kirkpatrick – are. Perhaps they've both been busy at work. After all, we heard McDonalds gets pretty busy this time of year.

Read more:

Justin Timberlake: I Support Lance – People

[story by Stuart Heritage]