We reported yesterday that Clay Aiken admitted that he’s gay, but now People.com has the full scoop on how Clay Aiken came out to his family and how he plans to raise his new baby boy.

Clay Aiken tells People magazine (hitting newstands this Friday, with the headline “Yes, I’m Gay”) that his decision to come out was “the first decision I made as a father.” The American Idol runner-up also says, “I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn’t raised that way, and I’m not going to raise a child to do that.”

Clay Aiken also addresses how his gay confession may impact fans, saying he hopes Claymates “know that I’ve never intended to lie to anybody at all. … But if they leave, I don’t want them to leave hating me.”

Clay Aiken recounts how he told his mom he was gay four years ago: “She started crying. She was obviously somewhat stunned. But she was very supportive and very comforting. She still struggles with things quite a bit, but she’s come a long way.”

Clay Aiken and his best friend Jaymes Foster plan to raise their baby in an environment that is “accepting and allowing him to be happy.”