"I'm extremely comfortable in my sexuality, so I can think, 'Oh, that's a good-looking dude," the Maroon 5 singer tells OUT Magazine in its September issue. "Acknowledging that someone's attractive and wanting to f--k a dude are two different things."
"There's no way to hide my straightness," Levine adds, "but if people didn't think there was a small chance I was gay, then I wouldn't be doing my job very well. Look at the best ones, guys whose sexuality was always questioned. Bowie. Jagger. Freddie Mercury. I wouldn't be the front man of a band if that question hadn't come up at some point."
Needless to say, the 32-year-old Voice mentor -- who's been linked to Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton and Kirsten Dunst in the past -- grew up in a very tolerant household.
"I can single-handedly dispel any ideas that sexuality is acquired," Levine laughs. "Trust me, you're born with it. My brother is gay, and we knew when he was two. We all knew."
When his brother came out, the Levines rallied together. "We all really wanted to provide some cushion for him and constantly let him know that it's OK," Levine tells OUT. "A lot of people don't want their kid to be gay and will fight it at all costs. But I've got news for you -- it's a losing f--king battle. The more you fight it, the more f--ked-up your kid's gonna be. You've just got to embrace it from the beginning. That's the only way to deal with it as a family."
Levine, who's currently dating Victoria's Secret model Anne Vyalitsyna, is proud of The Voice for featuring performers who are openly gay, two of whom made it to the finale.
"What's always pissed me off about American Idol is wanting to mask that, for that to go unspoken. C'mon. You can't be publicly gay? At this point? On a singing competition? Give me a break," he says. "You can't hide basic components of these people's lives. The fact that The Voice didn't have any qualms about being completely open about it is a great thing."[omg.yahoo.com]
