Shawn Mendes Fires Back At Haters: “Think Before You Judge!”
Shawn’s speaking up about a rumor that he just won’t stand for.
We’ve all been there: You’re minding your business, just going about your day when suddenly someone brings something to your attention that couldn’t be further from the truth. “Is it true you like my boyfriend?” “I heard you made shady comments about me on Instagram.” It’s like people who spread rumors don’t even take a minute to think about how those lies, no matter how big or small they may be, can impact someone’s life.
That’s something Shawn Mendes learned recently, when he made the mistake of reading the comments section on YouTube. “I don’t usually do this and bring up problems,” Shawn said. “But I was on YouTube just watching some of my interviews and I was going down the comments and noticed a lot of people were saying I give them a ‘gay vibe.’”
“The focus shouldn’t be on my sexuality”
You might think that Shawn would get angry that people are discussing such rumors. After all, for him, it’s not just the kids in the hallways spreading gossip, it’s thousands of internet trolls flooding the comment section. However, truthfully, the fact that people think he’s gay isn’t even a real problem for Shawn — and he would like to explain why. “First of all, I’m not gay,” he says. “Second of all, it shouldn’t make a difference if I was or if I wasn’t. The focus should be on the music, not my
sexuality.”
On that note, it’s really important for Shawn that everyone knows he’s not at all offended that people think he’s gay, he’s actually just upset that anyone would think it’s OK to use being gay as an insult. And in speaking out about it, he hopes to help change that stigma.
“I’m not frustrated because people were saying I was gay at all,” he explains. “I have no problem with that ’cause it wouldn’t make a difference to me. I’m frustrated because in this day and age, people have the audacity to write online that I’m gay as if it were a bad thing.”
“I wish people would grow up!”
If you happen to be a Shawn Mendes fan (and who isn’t?!), Shawn assures you that he doesn’t believe you’re all writing these sort of comments — it’s just a case of a few bad apples spoiling the whole bunch. “I know 99 percent of you guys aren’t making assumptions like this,” Shawn clarifies. “This is just for the one percent of you that are. I just wish that one percent of people would grow up.” And if voicing his opinion can change the behavior of just one person with too much keyboard confidence, Shawn will know he made a real difference.
“It’s important to keep things positive”
The reality is, getting caught in the middle of drama is part of growing up, and sometimes, it can be hard to avoid. If you find yourself in a situation like that, Shawn has some advice. “Before you judge someone on the way they speak or act, I want you guys to think, ‘Hey, maybe I shouldn’t be judging someone,’” he offers. “Or ‘It actually shouldn’t even matter. They can do or be, or feel, how they want to feel.’”
It’s positive people like Shawn who do make a change, because they’re not afraid to take a stand. “It’s extremely important just to keep things positive as much as we can,” he shares. “It’s important that singers use our voice to spread positive messages.”