During a heartfelt moment in Denver, Shawn Mendes revealed the “real truth” about his sexual orientation to an audience of supporters, acknowledging that he is “just figuring it out like everyone else.” This honest and accessible admission breaks down barriers and invites connection. Shawn Mendes spoke openly before performing his latest release and hit “The Mountain.” He claimed that he was able to respond to the subject in a way that was personal to him by creating that song, which was about having a change of heart and being rumored to favor “girls or boys.” The singer claimed that because he started performing at such a young age, he could not “discover” some aspects of himself. This could be due to the pressure of maintaining his public image, which aligns with the industry expectations, or a lack of personal growth, as he had little time to grow outside of the career context. 

According to fan footage from the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater that was uploaded to TikTok, Mendes stated while playing his guitar, “Since I was really young, there’s just been this thing about my sexuality, and people have been talking about it for so long.” He continued by saying, “I think it’s kind of silly because I think sexuality is such a beautifully complex thing, and it’s so hard to just put into boxes. It always felt like such an intrusion on something very personal to me, something that I was figuring out in myself, something that I had yet to discover and still have yet to discover.”

“I’m just speaking clearly now because I just want to be able to be closer to everyone and just kind of be in my truth,” he said. “The real truth about my life and my sexuality is that, man, I’m just figuring it out like everyone. I don’t really know sometimes, and I know other times.” 

He concluded by saying, “It really feels 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.”

Rumors concerning his sexual orientation have long “frustrated” the soulful pop-rocker. In 2018, he admitted to Rolling Stone that he felt pressured to be seen in public with women “to prove to people that I am not gay.”

In an article titled “Confessions of a Neurotic Teen Idol,” Shawn Mendes 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.” 

The star, who began his career by sharing cover songs on Vine, was previously connected to Hailey Bieber and his “Senorita” co-star Camilla Cabello for two years. He was more recently believed to be dating Sabrina Carpenter and chiropractor Jocelyn Miranda. But he has never publicly acknowledged either of those relationships. 

When the singer-songwriter appeared on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast in 2020, he claimed that since he was 15, “everyone” had been calling him gay. He claimed that he “really suffered with that” because of his problems with how his voice sounded and how he crossed his legs when he sat. He full-heartedly believes that many men experience this, and even worse, believes that there are a lot of gay men in the closet who must be hearing things like that and thinking, “I’m terrified to come out.” He claimed to have “this real anger for those people” and that he was working on achieving the same “divine middle ground” with his sexuality as Freddie Mercury of Queen did. 

Overall, the LGBTQ community finds excellent resonance in Shawn Mendes’ frank moment during his Colorado concert when he addressed rumors about his sexual orientation. It also symbolizes a more significant cultural trend toward famous individuals being more open. Mendes humanizes the complex nature of identity as he offers assistance to anyone struggling with their own by addressing these rumors head-on and offering his viewpoint on handling such a controversial topic.