Spurred by her teenage godson’s coming out, Miss Cleo, whose real name is Youree Dell Cleomili-Harris, tells the Advocate in the interview that it was her young relative’s courage that inspired her most. "When he made the decision I told him I'd be there 100%, and he embraced [coming out] whole-heartedly," she tells the magazine. "It's a different vibe than when I was his age, being raised Catholic in an all-girls boarding school. But he was afraid of nothing and I thought, 'I can't be a hypocrite. This boy is going to force me to put my money where my mouth is.'"

However coming out has come at a hefty price for Miss Cleo. According to The New York Daily News, Miss Cleo’s big news has cost her some friends and stunned family members, who until the announcement were unaware of the defamed former TV psychic’s sexuality, which was part of the reason she had kept it hidden for so long.

In the interview, Miss Cleo acknowledges that she spent years deeply afraid of the consequences of coming out. "The reason it's scary is because in my personal experience, black cultures throughout the world have a more difficult time accepting homosexuality in their family. I have family members who will be shocked; they don't know. I have some family members who are very close to me, and they know. But I've been afraid of the wrath, of the exile. When I came out to a number of friends in the late '80s, I had a number of friends who turned their backs on me and walked away. That was really intense. I really believed they were my friends."

Miss Cleo, whose credibility as a mystical shaman from Jamaican, now says that she works not as a psychic but as "spiritual advisor” performing weddings for gay and lesbian couples. So I guess if you call her now, maybe she can tell you if you should marry the one you’re with and then perform the ceremony. (For a small fee, of course).

  Until next time!