American singer-songwriter and guitarist Jason Mraz came out as bisexual in 2018. He did announce it to the world in a very unique manner — by penning a “love letter” to the LGBTQ+ community as part of a Billboard feature during gay pride month.
In that letter, he wrote, “I am bi your side. All ways”. An interesting way of coming out! But did you know that he did it much later in his life? The ‘I’m Yours’ singer recently shared in a podcast interview that he came out late because he didn’t want to be the ‘punchline of a joke.’ Here’s all he said.
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Jason Mraz’s Decision To Come Out Late Goes Back To His Childhood
Coming out as homosexual is a daunting task, especially given the stigma attached to it even today. Jason Mraz was speaking to Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s ‘Dinner’s on Me’ podcast when he opened up about how he decided to come out and why he chose to do it so late.
Mraz said that he realized he wasn’t straight as he “got older.” “I didn’t have too many sexual experiences in high school. I was kind of afraid of high school. I was bullied and just ready to get out of town,” he explained on the podcast.
“That’s why New York City was great and, even eventually, California was great.” He continued, “I also didn’t have a whole lot of self-confidence, skinny, scrawny, 18-year-old kid in New York. I don’t even know what to flirt with, who to flirt with, how to flirt.”
The 47-year-old singer said that he found himself truly in California. “I’d never fully been seen before, and I liked how I was being seen and heard,” he said. “
But, at the same time, I still took with me the conservative street that I grew up on, and that was very hard to ignore or to break out of. I was very shy and scared of what my family would say, or what my hometown would think, or just whatever,” he added.
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Jason Mraz Talks About Being Gay In The 90s
Times have changed and society has become more inclusive towards the queer community as compared to the 90s. Addressing the stigma back then, Jason Mraz talked about the troubles of coming out in the 90s during the podcast interview. “In the ’90s, being gay was like [the] punchline of a joke, and I didn’t want to be the punchline of a joke,” he said.
“I kept my nose down and figured out ways I could instead get out and see the world one day. I’ve been enjoying that,” Mraz added. “Even though I’ve been a late bloomer to where I am now, honestly I feel like my life is just starting.”
Mraz also added, “I can’t say that I have found love. I have been in amazing relationships and I’ve always learned and grown… but I love where I am. I feel so much love for myself finally that can only enhance the next relationship, or a relationship, when I find one.”
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