Arts & Entertainment

Shawn Mendes refuses to help bisexual fan come out to her parents

Social media divided on if the singer made the right decision

Published

7 years ago

July 22, 2019

**Shawn Mendes.** (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Shawn Mendes denied a fan’s request to help her come out to her parents as bisexual during a fan Q&A in Oakland, Calif. on July 14.

The fan tells Mendes that she is bisexual and hasn’t told many people. Mendes and the rest of the crowd cheer her on and the fan explains that her parents are very strict. She requests for Mendes to film a video telling her parents that she is bisexual.

“This is what I want to tell you. Your parents are your parents. They’re going to love you no matter what you say, no matter how you say it, no matter how you look when you say it, at any time of the day,” Mendes replies. “Nothing I say is going to mean anything that is even close to what you saying it means to them. Okay? You’re their world. I cannot possibly come close to the amount of joy and happiness that they’re going to feel when they find out that you’re telling them your truth and you’re honest.”

He added, “Don’t ask me to do that. I would if I thought that it was a better thing to do, but I know in my heart that it’s not. I know your parents are going to love you even more for being honest with them.”

.@ShawnMendes receives backlash after telling a fan that he won’t help her come out to her parents. pic.twitter.com/jChVmMCwxA
— Music News Facts (@musicnewsfact) July 19, 2019

Fans were divided on how they felt about Mendes’ response to the request. Some people felt it was his duty as a celebrity to be supportive of his fans while others didn’t think this type of request was in his job description.

it is. He’s a celebrity that people look up to and with that comes the responsibility to help the people that made you famous in the first place.
— Alessia del Perry B (@_katycaralana) July 19, 2019

I don’t remember celebrities being hired to assist their fans in their personal issues. If he doesn’t feel comfortable, then he doesn’t have to oblige, whether or not the fan looks up to him or not. His job is to make his fans happy with his music, his arts and crafts.
— andre || #1 art deco stan (@remforeverboy) July 19, 2019

Yeah but how is him recording a video to tell them would make her situation better?? Like if they are strict or conservative they were gonna accept her because Shawn Mendes told them to?? Lmao
— karina (@mskarinalemos) July 19, 2019

Out & About

Equality Chamber hosts Pride in Business Expo and Profits & Pours

Entrepreneurs, business leaders, professionals to meet at Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs

Published

2 hours ago

October 4, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

(Photo by auremar/Bigstock)

The Equality Chamber of Commerce is bringing together LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, business leaders, professionals, advocates, and community partners on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 2:30 p.m. at the D.C. Mayor’s Office for LGBTQ Affairs (899 N. Capitol Street, NE).

This is an afternoon and evening focused on one essential question: How do we build businesses and a business community that can thrive? The Pride in Business Expo and Profits & Pours with Stephanie will create a powerful forum for connection, practical knowledge, and economic opportunity at the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs. The Pride in Business Expo, taking place from 4-7 p.m., brings the region’s LGBTQ+ business community together to showcase businesses, build relationships, discover resources, and create new opportunities.

Out & About

Learn more about Virginia’s queer history

‘The Remarkable Visibility of Hannah Nokes’ event scheduled for Wednesday

Published

2 hours ago

October 4, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

(Image by larich/Bigstock)

Queer Virginia Contributor Amy Bertsch will host “The Remarkable Visibility of Hannah Nokes” on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. at Sprouse Rare Book Room inside the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library (717 Queen St., Alexandria, Va.).

Amy will share the story of Hannah Nokes, an African-American transgender woman who made headlines in 1933 when she testified in a high-profile murder trial. Learn about Nokes’s life, her place in history, and the broader social context of her remarkable story. Her story is among those featured in the book “Queer Virginia: New Stories in the Old Dominion.”

Out & About

Annapolis Pride arrives this weekend

Sixth annual LGBTQ celebration held in Maryland capital

Published

2 days ago

October 2, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

Annapolis Pride is set for Saturday. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The Sixth Annual Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 11 a.m. on the streets adjacent to St. John’s College.

The theme of this year’s Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival celebration is “United in Pride, Together We Thrive!” Saturday’s parade will begin on St. John’s Street adjacent to St. John’s College, continue along Calvert Street to Northwest Street, to Church Circle, and onto West Street. The parade route then turns onto Amos Garrett Boulevard and eventually ends on Constitution Avenue near Maryland Hall.

Those with disabilities will be able to watch the parade from a special viewing porch at the Graduate Hotel at 126 West St. An Annapolis Pride volunteer will be there and available to assist.

For more details, visit the festival’s website.