Britney Spears Talks Gay Fans: 'They're Somewhat Girls'

Britney Spears has likened her gay fans to as being "somewhat girls" in an interview with Pride Source that was published Monday.

Spears opened up to the outlet about being a gay icon as her eighth studio album, Britney Jean, is set to be released on Tuesday. She spoke of how she felt about the tremendous support she has received from the gay community over the years.

"They're adorable," said Spears, 32. "They're absolutely adorable."

The author of the article told Spears that her comment and previously referring to gays in such terms had caused some controversy. She expressed surprise. The Perfume singer insisted that she has never meant any harm.

"I would never say anything to be mean to them. I love my gay fans. Gay people are always usually my best friends in the whole world," Spears said. "I completely adore them."

Spears said she relied heavily on the gay community to inspire her.

"I get inspiration from them on almost all of my songs," Spears said. "They're somewhat girls, so it's so inspiring to do stuff that they like to hear, like the cool 'in' stuff. Whatever I do for each record is definitely inspired by them."