“Leave Shawn Mendes alone” is the new “Leave Britney alone” after the singer’s recent disclosure.
In case you missed it, pop star and Internet boyfriend Shawn Mendes told the crowd at an October 28 concert that his sexuality is still TBD.
“The real truth about my life and my sexuality is that, man, I’m just figuring it out like everyone,” he said between songs at that Colorado show.
“And I don’t really know sometimes, and I know other times. And it feels really scary because we live in a society that has a lot to say about that. And I’m trying to be really brave and just allow myself to be a human and feel things, and yeah, that’s all I really want to say about that for now.”
Mendes’ candor about his personal life became viral news, with many people misinterpreting his comments as a coming-out. Of course, people have been making assumptions and insinuations about Mendes’ sexuality for years now, despite his many pleas for a stop to the speculation.
In a post on the r/gay Reddit forum, users aren’t in total consensus about celebrities’ responsibility to come out, with one user giving a controversial take that “silence” from celebrities like Mendes equals complicity.
But many other commenters dismissed that argument. “As a celebrity, you don’t owe the public you coming out,” one commenter wrote. “You can be an outspoken ally and talk openly about your public support, but you shouldn’t be made to feel like you have to come out just because you’re famous.”
Another commented, “It’s not his job to be a paragon or a voice to others of whatever community he may or may not be a part of. This is the same sh*t people did to Kit Connor.” (Connor, star of Heartstopper, came out publicly under the pressure of invasive speculation in 2022.)
And a third commenter said, “What if he still isn’t sure? What if everyone proclaiming he is gay caused a lot of internalized homophobia? I had that. Let this man live in peace.”
