Janelle Monáe has addressed long-standing speculation over her sexuality, telling Rolling Stone that she’s had relationships with both men and women and currently identifies as pansexual.
“Being a queer black woman in America—someone who has been in relationships with both men and women—I consider myself to be a free-ass motherfucker,” she told Brittany Spanos in the cover story. She adds that, having originally identified as bisexual, she later “read about pansexuality and was like, ‘Oh, these are things that I identify with too.’ I’m open to learning more about who I am.”
Monáe has previously let questions regarding her sexuality go unanswered, declining to elaborate in a recent New York Times interview on her rumored relationship with Tessa Thompson. (She offers no comment on her dating life in the Rolling Stone story.) As early as 2013, she was sidestepping questions on whether she dated women, telling Sway in the Morning, “I want women to still be attracted to me. Go get my album! I want men to still be attracted to me so I have to be political in this. So I can’t really tell y’all!”
Monáe’s new album, Dirty Computer, features Brian Wilson, Pharrell, and more. It’s out tomorrow.
CLOSE Janelle Monae's new music video "Make Me Feel" is part of a longer "emotion picture" featuring actress Tessa Thompson. (Feb. 23) AP
Singer Janelle Monae. (Photo: JP Yim, Getty Images)
Singer Janelle Monáe has come out as pansexual.
In an interview with Rolling Stone Thursday, the Tightrope singer revealed what genders she has dated and clarified how she identifies.
"Being a queer black woman in America ... someone who has been in relationships with both men and women — I consider myself to be a free-(love proponent)" she told the magazine. "But then later I read about pansexuality and was like, ‘Oh, these are things that I identify with too.' I'm open to learning more about who I am."
Monáe, who has long since kept her sexuality under wraps, told The Guardian in February that she felt "sexually liberated" following the release of her Make Me Feel music video, which many were quick to dub a bisexual anthem.
While celebrities may be bringing media attention to pansexuality, the concept is not new, GLAAD President and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis, told USA TODAY in 2016 after Miley Cyrus came out.
More: Janelle Monáe comes out as pansexual: 'I'm open to learning more about who I am'
More: Tolerance takes a hit: Americans less accepting of LGBT people in 2017, survey shows
Here's a quick explainer (originally published in 2016)
Q: What does pansexual mean?
A pansexual is a person who is attracted to all gender identities, or attracted to people regardless of gender, according to Ellis.
That means a person who identifies as pansexual may be attracted to a transgender person, someone who goes by by the gender neutral terms of "ze" or "zir," or someone who identifies as straight or gay.
Jazz Jennings, a transgender teenage woman, told Cosmo in 2015 that pansexual means you are "attracted to anyone, no matter their sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, everything."
"There's no limits," she said. "I'll date anyone. It's more that I love someone for their soul. Physically, I think I'm more attracted to boys but sometimes I'm attracted to girls too, so it's weird."
Q: Is pansexual a new term?
Pansexual isn't a new term, but Ellis said we are hearing it more often because younger generations seem to be identifying as pansexuals more and more.
Ellis said upcoming GLAAD research on how Gen Z and millennials identify and see the world has shown that there is a growing trend toward gender fluidity.
Q: Is pansexuality different than bisexuality?
Bisexuality and pansexuality are not interchangeable words, Ellis said, though pansexuality does fall under the "bisexuality umbrella."
“Pan is more about all-inclusive, and bi tends to be more than one,” she said, adding, “The golden rule, honestly, is to call someone by how they identify.”
A common conception of bisexuality is that bisexual people find themselves attracted to men or women, reinforcing a gender binary. But Ellis said that’s not the case.
“The reality is that bi means more than one,” she said. “The bi community feels very strongly that (bisexuality) is not being binary either.”
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In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, singer Janelle Monáe came out as pansexual. Monáe, who is typically a very private person, has not explicitly spoken about her sexuality in the past (though she has made hints about it in her music — her new song “Pynk” celebrates queer womanhood). Monáe’s statement about being pansexual, however, has left many fans confused as they wonder: What does it mean to be pansexual?
When describing pansexuality, many people state that it’s similar to bisexuality. In fact, Monáe herself said that she had first identified as bisexual before coming to terms with the fact that she is pansexual.
Sexologist Dr. Carlen Costa told Cosmopolitan that pansexuality is "the sexual, romantic, emotional, physical, or spiritual attraction to people, regardless of their specific gender identity or sexual expression. Pansexuality is about recognizing that as a people, we have evolved, thus the language of love and relationships has also had to evolve and become increasingly inclusive."
I’m very open about it I’m pansexual. To me, it means to just want love. To have a connection with anyone you can find it with. It’s about personality. I love someone for their souls. No matter their sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, everything. There's no limits. — Amber Renee☾ (@amberkerns93) April 16, 2018
In basic terms, pansexuality means that you can be attracted to men or women. What sets it apart from bisexuality, however, is that it also means you can be attracted to non-binary gender identities. In other words, pansexuality is being attracted to anyone, regardless of how they identify. Someone who is pansexual might be attracted to a man, a woman, a transgender person, a person who does not identify with gender at all, or yes, a heterosexual person. It means you don’t think about gender when considering a romantic partner.
It’s about rejecting the gender binary and embracing the idea that gender is a social construct.
Not surprisingly, there are many misconceptions about pansexuality. One is that someone who is pansexual is attracted to anything, not just people. That’s not true. Another misconception is that pansexuals are attracted to literally everyone. Not true either. Stop Homophobia explains, “This doesn’t mean they like everyone, and some pansexuals do have physical preferences. The identity is used merely to express the openness and fluidity to people of all genders.”
its 2018 and some of yall still refuse to understand that being pansexual means attraction to males, females, and nonbinaries. it does NOT mean that they consider trans ppl to be a separate gender. — 𝒷𝓇𝑒 (@dailyvitajimin) April 23, 2018
Monáe is not the first celebrity to come out as pansexual. A few years ago, Miley Cyrus came out as pansexual, stating that bisexuality felt too limited to her. Jazz Jennings, trans activist and star of I Am Jazz, has said, “Being pansexual basically means to me that you are attracted to anyone, no matter their sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, everything. There [are] no limits. I’ll date anyone. It’s more that I love someone for their soul.”
Singer, actress and activist Janelle Monáe has come out as pansexual. Monáe, a singer who also starred in films like "Moonlight" and "Hidden Figures," initially identified as bisexual, but in a new interview with Rolling Stone, she says now that she is pansexual, which includes people of any sex or gender identity.
Monáe said she wanted to address the rumors about her sexuality.
"Being a black queer woman in America, someone who has been in relationships with both men and women — I consider myself to be a free-a** motherf**ker," she said.
She continued, "Later I read about pansexuality and was like, 'Oh, these are things that I identify with, too.' I'm open to learning more about who I am."
Monáe, who previously dodged questions about her sexuality by saying lines like "I only date androids," said she has always put out that she is queer in her music. She revealed that the original title of "Q.U.E.E.N." was "Q.U.E.E.R.," and you can still hear the word on the track's background harmonies. She pointed out that "Q.U.E.E.N." and "Mushrooms & Roses" reference a love interest named Mary. In a music film that accompanies Monáe's new album "Dirty Computer," character "Mary Apple" is played by Tessa Thompson, who is rumored to be Monáe's girlfriend, though Monáe did not confirm the relationship.
Monáe said her new album is dedicated to LGBTQ people struggling with their identity.
"I want young girls, young boys, nonbinary, gay, straight, queer people who are having a hard time dealing with their sexuality, dealing with feeling ostracized or bullied for just being their unique selves, to know that I see you," she said. "This album is for you. Be proud."
