John Michael Stipe is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the alternative rock band R.E.M. from their formation in 1980 until their dissolution in 2011.
As a member of R.E.M., Stipe was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. As a singer-songwriter, Stipe is considered to be an influence on a wide range of artists, including Kurt Cobain of Nirvana and Thom Yorke of Radiohead.
In 1994, Stipe described himself as "an equal opportunity lech", and that he was attracted to, and had relationships with, both men and women. In 1995, he appeared on the cover of Out magazine. Stipe described himself as a "queer artist" in Time in 2001 and revealed that he had been in a relationship with "an amazing man" for three years at that point.[1]
Stipe reiterated this in a 2004 interview with Butt magazine. When asked if he ever declares himself as gay, Stipe stated,
I don't. I think there's a line drawn between gay and queer, and for me, queer describes something that's more inclusive of the grey areas.[2]