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The problem with people saying he's "giving gay."
By Megan Hatch — Written on Sep 21, 2021
All Twitter needed was a video clip of Shawn Mendes saying "It's giving Cher," to start a new storm of tweets bullying and calling Mendes gay.
In Vogues series of "Get Ready for the Met Gala" videos, Mendes commented on his girlfriend Camila Cabello's outfit at the end of the video before walking onto the white carpet.
Twitter took this clip and ran with it saying that it was "the final nail in the coffin" that Mendes is "clearly gay," and that "this man is never beating the gay allegations."
Is Shawn Mendes gay?
The singer has repeatedly explained that he is straight and while there's nothing insulting about being considered "gay" the constant speculation is problematic.
Mendes says he has been called gay ever since he was 15-years-old. He has been mocked for his higher-pitched voice and "female" inclinations after being raised around women.
In 2016, Mendes read some YouTube comments on some of his video interviews which bullied him for giving "gay vibes."
Those comments then pushed him to make a Snapchat video saying he's not gay, and for those who commented that as an insult to grow up, “First of all, I’m not gay. Second of all, it shouldn’t make a difference if I was or wasn’t.”
Shawn Mendes has said speculation about his sexuality has made him insecure.
In 2018, Mendes mentioned in a Rolling Stone interview that people constantly speculate he's in the closet, and how that can really get to him.
“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.”
Mendes even mentioned he was worried after his long-time friend Taylor Swift posted a video of her putting glittery eye makeup on his face backstage during her “Reputation” tour, and Mendes said he "felt sick,” and thought, "F**k, why did I let her post that?’ I just fed the fire that I’m terrified of.”
Mendes has criticized people for feeling entitled to someone's sexuality.
In more recent times, Mendes was featured in Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast in December of 2020, and explained how he constantly has to clear these rumors about his sexuality and how frustrating that's been for him to deal with. "I’m always first to cross my legs and sit with a position of this feminine style and I really suffered with that sh*t.”
This made his life very frustrating not only for him but for his friends who were gay and in the closet
"I felt 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," said Mendes.
“Was it giving Cher?” pic.twitter.com/HhWh4i7U5R
So instead of commenting that he's "giving gay," keep your internalized masculinity to yourself and be more open-minded about men being able to express their femininity.
Megan Hatch is a writer at YourTango who covers news & entertainment, love & relationships, and internet culture. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.