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Cynthia Nixon has clarified her claim that she is gay by choice. The "Sex and the City" actress recently told the New York Times Magazine, "I understand that for many people it's not, but for me it's a choice, and you don't get to define my gayness for me."

Nixon's comment upset some members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, who took umbrage with the idea that they have control over their sexual preference. In a statement published by the LGBT magazine The Advocate, Nixon said:

"While I don't often use the word, the technically precise term for my orientation is bisexual. I believe bisexuality is not a choice, it is a fact. What I have 'chosen' is to be in a gay relationship. As I said in the Times and will say again here, I do, however, believe that most members of our community - as well as the majority of heterosexuals - cannot and do not choose the gender of the persons with whom they seek to have intimate relationships because, unlike me, they are only attracted to one sex."

The 45-year-old Nixon is engaged to her longtime partner Christine Marinoni. They have a young son.