At a fan Q&A in Oakland, California on July 14, Shawn Mendes refused a request from a female fan who wanted him to record a short video helping her come out to her parents.
Said the fan: “I’m bisexual and I haven’t told anybody, but my parents are very strict and I don’t know how to tell them so I was wondering if you could do a little video….”
Replied Mendes: “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. 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. 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.”
Mendes’s fans seem to be divided on what he should have done in this case. Do you think it’s a star’s duty to help his fans when he receives a request like this?
