Original Styx Member Comes Out, Says He's 'Finally Home'

(7/30/01, 12 p.m. ET) -- Chuck Panozzo, the original bassist for Styx, came out about his homosexuality and his HIV status at the Human Right Campaign's (HRC) annual dinner in Chicago on Saturday (July 28). Panozzo, who first tested positive for HIV infection in 1991, developed advanced AIDS in 1999, but his health is stable now with the help of aggressive drug therapy.

"Coming out has touched my life in so many positive ways and really has set my spirit free," he says. "I'm in a better place than I've ever been in my life, and it's all because I acknowledged who I am and said, 'I want to live my life as an openly gay man'...I've lived in Chicago my entire life, but speaking to my gay brothers and sisters about coming out means I am finally home."

Panozzo adds, "With HRC, I feel I can help with equal rights, stand against hate violence and do everything I can to make this a better world for the next generation. Coming out is the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I wish I had done it years earlier."

Panozzo also announced that he will be a spokesperson for HRC's National Coming Out Project and National Coming Out Day, which is October 11.

The Human Rights Campaign, one of the biggest national lesbian and gay political organizations, works to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans are safe, protected, and free to live their lives in whatever way they choose. The group lobbies Congress, provides campaign support, and educates the public.