Latino superstar Ricky Martin joined forces with United Nations (Un) General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon on Tuesday (11Dec12) to speak out against homophobia.

The Livin' la Vida Loca star, who 'came out' as gay in 2010, was one of the guest speakers on the panel at a Un conference on gay rights in New York alongside South African singer and activist Yvonne Chaka Chaka.

The star used the platform to describe the ordeal he went through while trying to come to terms with his sexuality, saying, "For many years... I was hating myself because I grew up listening to a very crooked concept: 'You're gay. You belong in hell.'"

Ki-Moon thanked the star for joining the fight against homophobia, and called for equal rights for gay people, adding, "They, too, are born free and equal. I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in their struggle for human rights."