Nick Jonas Responds To “Gay Baiting” Accusations In An Interview With OUT

Is Nick Jonas a gay icon now? OUT magazine says yes — and so do a lot of the former Disney star's fans. But to some, it seems like he's toeing the line between being an LGBT ally and exploiting sexual ambiguity as a way of becoming more popular among a certain crowd. Back in 2014, accusations that the singer was guilty of queer-baiting circulated far and wide. "Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion," he responded at the time. I think it’s unfortunate that some people have to find a negative in every situation. Clearly my heart is in the right place, and more than anything, if they just looked at my life and my gay friends and the authentic nature of where my heart is, they’d just see that they’re kind of ignorant.” Since then, Jonas has been heavily criticized. However just like in 2014, he claims again that he never intentionally courted his relationship with the gay community by pretending to be queer himself. "It’s not the majority, but a large handful have a negative opinion for whatever reason,” he told OUT, adding that he thinks the whole thing is "really quite sad." He also told OUT that he's always found the interest in his love life and sexuality, particularly during the teen years, pretty bizarre. “The fact that people were intrigued by a 14– or 15-year-old’s relationships was strange to me,” he told the mag. “Now I think it makes a bit more sense. I think it’s kind of amusing, people’s interests. But it’s funny, because I think I live a pretty low-key life."