I don't necessarily feel sorry for him, in that he should not have lied in the first place, or at least, just said he did not want to talk about that particular aspect of his life.
In the event that he does fall in love with a woman(unlikely) he would be ridiculed even further. So he chooses not to close-off an out, for himself. Things are not always cast in stone.
I think he was allowed to play that straight card too long. He just should not have allowed himself to say positively, one way or the other. Too bad about all of the negativity. His career was fun for a lot of people other than himself, as well. Someone on his team should have advised him better about this kind of thing. If they did not know what his sexual orientation was in the beginning, I'm pretty sure they must have suspected what it is. I kind of think they missused him on that issue. If he was online with different hookup websites, he should have been advised that that kind of activity could lead up to devastating consequences.
Regardless, he can sing, and I hope he'll be allowed to continue singing.
His fan base, is not all older women either. Some of the most viscious of his defenders are the younger women, so that is a crock. What the older women can do that the younger ones can't as much, is have the freedom and clout to be there for him at all costs. They have more freedom. A lot of them are divorced professionals, widows with great jobs, or retirement cushions, married with husbands who have no idea of their intense love for him, married women who sneak away to see him, and have the money to spend, even if it is partially their husbands'. Also, some of the husbands could care less what their wives do, just as long as they don't bother them.
The last one I can think of is that they love his kind of music. There are all different kinds of reasons why a lot of them are older and more visible than the younger ones. It's sad though, that he seems too ashamed to let it be known. If his fanbase dwindles because of him exposing the truth, now, I think he does not have much support from the gay community. And, understandably so. If he's negative about it, then what could he really expect from them?
I kind of feel sorry for him. Based on his audience's age, it'll be like coming out to his mom x 4 million.