Shawn Mendes got ‘upset’ over fans’ ‘desperation’ for him to come out as gay
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 09: Shawn Mendes attends the 2018 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on October 9, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images For dcp)
Shawn Mendes has said he “got upset” with fans for their “desperation” for him to come out as gay, branding the speculation “ignorant”.
The “In My Blood” singer has been faced persistent speculation from some fans that he is secretly gay, with some pushing the idea that his relationship with Camila Cabello is a publicity stunt designed to hide his sexuality.
However, Mendes has repeatedly insisted that he is straight and has lashed out at fans for spreading rumours about his sexuality.
When asked by The Guardian about speculation that his relationship with Cabello was fake, he replied: “There was a desperation for me to come out as being gay, which is such a ridiculous thing.
“I got upset because I know people who are gay who haven’t come out and I know the suffering they experience because of that.
“It’s just completely ignorant and insensitive of people to be on that s**t.”
The 22-year-old singer-songwriter, who released his fourth studio album Wonder on 4 December, has spoken out on a number of occasions against fans who speculate about his sexuality.
Shawn Mendes hit out at fans for speculating that he is secretly gay
In June 2016, he posted a video on Snapchat telling a section of his fanbase off for spreading rumours.
“I noticed a lot of people were saying I gave them a ‘gay vibe’,” Shawn Mendes said in the video.
“First of all, I’m not gay. Second of all, it shouldn’t make a difference if I was or wasn’t.”
He went on to tell fans they were lucky he wasn’t “actually gay and terrified of coming out”.
“That’s something that kills people,” he said. “That’s how sensitive it is. Do you like the songs? Do you like me? Who cares if I’m gay?”
In an interview with The Guardian in 2018, he said of the rumours: “For me it’s hurtful. I get made when people assume things about me because I imagine the people who don’t have the support system I have and how that must affect them.”
He told Rolling Stone in November 2018 that speculation surrounding his sexuality had become “a massive, massive thing”, and admitted going to lengths to avoid being perceived as gay.
“In the back of my heart, I feel like I need to go be seen with someone – like a girl – in public, to prove to people that I’m not gay,” he said.
“Even though in my heart I know that it’s not a bad thing. There’s still a piece of me that thinks that. And I hate that side of me.”
