For as long as KISS has been a thing, rumors have circulated that Paul Stanley has been living a secret life as a closeted gay man.

Tabloids love this story and, since the 1970s, they've run articles purporting to finally have "conclusive proof" that Paul is a homosexual. The rumor is particularly odd as Paul was, before his long-standing marriage, one of the more infamous womanizers in rock and roll.

Recently, those rumors have reared their ugly head again.

Paul Stanley, though, doesn't take offense. In a recent interview, Paul said if he were gay, he'd be very proud of that fact. Paul's not known to mince words and he asserts that if he was a homosexual, he'd have come out of the closet long ago.

“As long as you’re a good person, sexual orientation and stuff like that is totally irrelevant. That being said, I never saw a guy where I said, ‘Gee, that’s a close second to a woman.’"

“I never looked and said, ‘If I can’t have that girl over there, I’m taking the bloke.’ It’s always persisted over time that I’m gay. If I were, I’d be proud to be whatever I am.”

Paul recognizes that some may see his general stage-demeanor as sometimes effeminate.

“That’s always been really interesting, that some people can’t take my comfort with sexuality, misreading it as something it’s not. I scratch my head at that," he said.

Regardless, Paul, a happily married father of four, says that he just shrugs his shoulders when the "gay thing" pops back up.

“I just kind of go, ‘Well, the boys may not understand, but the women always did.’ They got it – in more ways than one.”

Yeah. We get it, Paul.

On the subject of family, Paul also discussed the difficulties of being a rock star and a dad.

“Sometimes at night, it’s a bit of a struggle to not be home with my little ones.”

He says that, in a perfect world, his wife and kids would travel with him. But, he simply can’t take the 9-year-old,6-year-old and 4-year-old out of school to go with him.

Still, Paul thinks he's a pretty good father given the circumstances.

“I spend more time with my children than most dads who work 9 to 5,” he says. “I’m with my kids seven days a week when I’m home. I take them to school and pick them up. So I think the balance is pretty good.”

Also, fun fact: Paul's kids attend the same school as Dave Grohl's kids! And Stanley says this has led to some pretty sweet fundraising events.

“I play and Dave plays,” the Starman says. “I gladly do it. To be able to give back to a school that makes such a great educational home for my kids is something I enjoy doing.”

More From KKTX FM