Jason Mraz: “I’ve had experiences with men, even while I was dating the woman who became my wife.”
Since starting his career in coffeehouses around San Diego, Mraz offers positivity through his soulful, folk-pop music. His spirit charmed listeners through dynamic recordings, entertaining live performances and his humanitarian efforts.
Throughout his career, Mraz has earned many awards for his various releases. He made pop history with his record-breaking singles, “I’m Yours” and “I Won’t Give Up,” racked up two Grammy Awards, and won the coveted Songwriter Hall of Fame Hal David Award.
Mraz has sold out arenas and amphitheaters around the world, including sell-outs at famous venues such as The Hollywood Bowl, Madison Square Garden and London’s O2 Arena. Notwithstanding his amazing accomplishments, Mraz is first and foremost an engaged global citizen and a supporter of equality. In fact, Mraz is more than an ally of the LGBTQ community.
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In June, as part of Billboard‘s “Love Letter to the LGBTQ Community” series, Mraz published a poem that fans interpreted as his coming out.
In his “Love Poem to the LGBTQ Community” entry, Mraz writes:
We still have a long way to go
But know
I am bi your side.
All ways.
Fans theorized that the pun is Mraz’s flirtatious way of opening up about his sexuality. Furthermore, some considered the use of the term “All ways” instead of “always” could be a cunning way of saying that he’s fluid.
In a follow-up interview with Billboard, Mraz opened up about the reaction his poem received from fans and his experiences with men. “Honestly, I didn’t realize it was going to be so telling,” he says. “But I’ve had experiences with men, even while I was dating the woman who became my wife. It was like, ‘Wow, does that mean I am gay?’ And my wife laid it out for me. She calls it ‘two-spirit,’ which is what the Native Americans call someone who can love both man and woman. I really like that.”
Mraz and his wife, Tristan Prettyman, have long supported marriage equality, LGBTQ rights, and the community. They were one of the prominent couples who refused to get married until same-sex partners could do the same. At a concert in 2011, Mraz told his audience, “We can’t get married until [same-sex] marriage is legal and equal … I think giving people the right to marry will be a huge movement in civil rights.”
