Shawn Mendes found speculation about his sexuality to be “so frustrating”.
The ‘Wonder’ singer is heterosexual and currently in a relationship with Camila Cabello, but has been asked several times in the past about his sexuality, with multiple people questioning whether he is part of the LGBTQ community.
And now, Shawn has said he felt “real anger” for his gay friends when people questioned him on his own sexuality because he didn’t know “how to respond” to the situation.
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He said: “It was so, so frustrating for me because there were some people in my life that I was very very close to, who were gay and in the closet. And I felt like this real anger for those people. It’s such a tricky thing. You want to say, ‘I’m not gay but it’d be fine if I was gay – but also there’s nothing wrong with being gay but I’m not.’ You don’t really know how to respond to the situation.”
Shawn, 22, insisted people have questioned him on his sexuality since he was a teenager because of his “feminine style”, and said he would love for people to stop being judgemental.
He added: “I’ve realised that we just have to stop having to be experts and politicians about it, especially as a famous musician who’s a guy. I need to be really f****** messy and say the wrong things and apologise and say the right thing after I apologise and be confused about how to respond when people say I’m gay.
“Everyone’s been calling me gay since I was 15 years old. I’m not gay and I’m like, ‘What does that mean?’ I had these problems with the way my voice sounded. I’m like, ‘How do I sit?’ I’m always first to cross my legs and sit with a position of this feminine style and I really suffered with that s***.”
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However, Shawn admitted rumours about his own sexuality have made him more sympathetic toward people who struggle with coming out.
He said: “I think a lot of guys go through that and even worse than that there are just so many guys who are gay and in the closet and must be hearing s*** like that and just being like, ‘I’m terrified to come out’.”
And the ‘In My Blood’ singer is now working on allowing himself to be more open and vulnerable, especially with his girlfriend Camila.
He told Dax Shepard on his ‘Armchair Expert’ podcast: “I think people are really quick to just say, ‘Well, he’s an artist so he gets a pass to be vulnerable and a pass to cry but most men shouldn’t.’ Guys need to just be vulnerable. We need to cry. Stop thinking this is being brave and strong and start thinking is the opposite, actually. We’re holding in these emotions and not crying and being assholes. Nothing about that is nice.
“I’m in a relationship where my girlfriend is like, ‘We’re going to get in bed and you’re going to put your head on my chest and you’re going to cry into my chest. You’re going to tell me how you feel because if you don’t do that you’re just going to be an asshole for the next week and I’m not going to deal with that s***.’ I’m just lucky to be in a relationship that’s for it.”
