Somewhere between the matcha lattes and the unbuttoned black shirt, Shawn Mendes reminded us that the real tea isn’t who he’s with—but who he’s becoming.
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Spotted in Los Angeles this week, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter was seen strolling with Portuguese artist and YouTube phenom Maro (born Mariana Brito da Cruz Forjaz Secca). Their caffeine communion quickly turned into an internet spectacle, naturally. But for many queer fans watching, this wasn’t just celeb-spotting—it was a subtle, intimate moment laced with the kind of tenderness and ambiguity that queer people have long learned to read between the lines.
Because here’s the thing: when you’ve grown up parsing every hand touch, side glance, or joint coffee order for signs of authenticity in a world that rarely gives us straight answers (pun very much intended), these “quiet” moments can feel loud.
And Shawn Mendes—bless his blue jeans and heartbreak lyrics—has never exactly been quiet about the noise that surrounds him.
Back in October 2024, while performing in Colorado during his For Friends and Family tour, Shawn opened up to the crowd in a way that felt more raw than rehearsed.
“There’s this thing about my sexuality and people have been talking about it so long.”
“Kind of silly, because I think sexuality is such a beautifully complex thing, and it’s so hard to just put into boxes.”
“The real truth about my life and my sexuality is that, man, I’m just figuring it out like everyone.”
The crowd cheered. And some queer fans? We wept.
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Because there’s power in uncertainty. There’s grace in the phrase “still figuring it out.” It’s a freedom queer people have been claiming for years, often in defiance of a culture that demands labels, proof, and visibility on command. And Mendes, once defensive about the endless speculation surrounding his voice, his posture, or his friendships, now stood there—a little older, maybe wiser—saying: I’m human, and that’s enough.
“It always felt like such an intrusion on something very personal to me,” he continued.
“Something that I was figuring out in myself, something that I had yet to discover and still have yet to discover it.”
It’s a far cry from the 2016 Snapchat where he told fans, “First of all, I’m not gay. Second of all, it shouldn’t make a difference if I was or if I wasn’t.” Back then, the words read like armor. Now, his message feels more like a hand extended.
Because this isn’t just about Mendes. It’s about every boy who’s been called gay since they were 15 for crossing their legs or liking musicals. Every teen who felt like they needed to “be seen with a girl” just to stay safe. Every person who’s been stuck in the crossfire of the phrase, “But you don’t look gay.”
This coffee run with Maro might be nothing more than two friends warming their hands and talking shop. Or it might be the start of something soft, sacred, and messy. Either way, what’s striking isn’t the potential romance—it’s the way the world is learning to hold space for complexity.
Because as Shawn sang in The Mountain that night:
“You can say I’m too young / You can say I’m too old / You can say I like girls or boys, whatever fits your mold.”
Queer fans know what it’s like to be told who you are before you even know yourself. Mendes is flipping that script—not with a headline, but with an unfolding. And whether he’s straight, gay, bi, fluid, questioning, or something else entirely, he’s telling the truth that so many LGBTQ+ people recognize in our bones:
“I just want to be able to be closer to everyone and just kind of be in my truth.”
And that, my friends, is the kind of bravery we’ll always show up for—hairy chest, heartbreak anthems, and all.
Source: DailyMail
Maro represented Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022
Maybe they are collaborating on a song?