R. Kelly's sex tape comes out of the closet

The evidence being used against singer R. Kelly -- a video that allegedly depicts sexual acts between Kelly and an underage girl -- will be shown in court for the public and the media.

A Chicago judge decided against banning the video from public viewing Thursday, calling the tape "the whole crux and linchpin of the case."

"I find there is not an overarching interest for excluding the public and the press from the portion of the trial that is the linchpin," the judge said.

Kelly and his prosecutors earlier requested that the judge ban the public from viewing the video, saying that it would embarrass the girl featured in the tape, who may have been as young as 13 years old at the time.

Since 2002, Kelly has been accused of 14 counts of child pornography, to which he has pled not guilty.