Stephanie Seymour's Son Responds to Criticism of 'Racy' PhotosJust four days after photos of Stephanie Seymour and her son hugging and kissing on a St. Barths beach became the subject of worldwide media attention, Peter Brant II has come to the defense of his family.

While the affectionate acts captured in the photos, including what appears to be Brant holding his mother's breast, have raised some eyebrows, the 18-year-old maintains that his actions are well within the bounds of normal mother-son interaction.

In a statement released to the media, the self-described "Designer, Art Collector, Socialite and Model" writes:

"I would just like to say that these pictures have been taken completely out of context, my mother and I are very close as she is with all her children. She often hugs and kisses me and my siblings in an manner that is intimate, any mother in the world does the same. That day on the beach we walked around with each other completely aware of the presence of photographers there. We have nothing to hide and with that in mind I would like to say that I am openly gay. At my age my mother and I are almost like friends and I feel open to talk to her about anything (and yes our relationship may be different because of my sexuality)."