Demi Lovato opens up about being pansexual

Demi Lovato’s truth tour doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, and fans are definitely into it. Hot on the heels of the release of her YouTube doc Lovato is opening up to press, most recently about accepting herself as pansexual.

In an interview with Joe Rogan for The Joe Rogan Experience, Lovato revealed that growing up she was extremely “closeted off” because of her religious upbringing, but over the years she’s become proud to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community. “I'm so fluid now, and a part of the reason why I am so fluid is because I was super closeted off,” she explained to the host, who asked her if “pansexual” would be an accurate description. “Yeah, pansexual,” she added.

“I heard someone call the LGBTQIA+ community the alphabet mafia,” Lovato then said, adding, “That's it! That's what I'm going with. I'm part of the alphabet mafia and proud.”

During the conversation, Lovato also recalled how seeing Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair kiss in that famous Cruel Intentions scene was what brought about her sexual awakening. But rather than empowering her at the time, it led to all kinds of conflicted feelings. “I felt a lot of shame because growing up in Texas as a Christian, that's very frowned upon,” she explained. “Any attraction I had to a female at a young age, I shut it down before I even let myself process what I was feeling.”

Lovato has been speaking out about her past in conjunction with the release of Dancing With the Devil (which follows her drug overdose and near-death experience in 2018) and the upcoming April 2 release of her accompanying 19-track album, Dancing With the Devil… The Art of Starting Over. Last week in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the performer opened up about her sexuality as well, and specifically said that she “fooled” herself with her relationship to ex-fiancé Max Ehrich, whom she started dating, agreed to marry, and broke up with last year. In the interview, Lovato revealed that it was the Ehrich relationship that made her truly accept her own sexuality, something she continued to open up about with Rogan.

"I was engaged to a man last year. I totally thought I'd be married, maybe pregnant right now, and that's not the case, so I’ve just stopped kind of attaching myself to — I know that my life is not going according to my plan,” she said, continuing not to use her ex’s name. In the interview, Lovato also looked towards the future. “In this moment I want to adopt [children] for sure,” she said. “I also don’t know if I’m going to end up with a guy, so I can’t really see myself even getting pregnant.”

The statement essentially echoes what Lovato said earlier this month in a cover interview with Glamour magazine. At the time the “Sorry Not Sorry” singer revealed she’s “really queer” and is happy spending time getting to know herself again. “I know who I am and what I am, but I’m just waiting until a specific timeline to come out to the world as what I am,” she told the publication. “I’m following my healers’ timeline, and I’m using this time to really study and educate myself on my journey and what I’m preparing to do,” she added.

“When I started getting older, I started realizing how queer I really am. This past year I was engaged to a man, and when it didn’t work, I was like, ‘This is a huge sign.’ I thought I was going to spend my life with someone. Now that I wasn’t going to, I felt this sense of relief that I could live my truth.”

The third episode of Dancing With the Devil hits YouTube on March 30, ahead of the finale on April 6. 

BEFORE YOU GO: Demi Lovato opens up about feeling ‘fooled’ by Max Ehrich

[video_embed id='2168948']BEFORE YOU GO: Demi Lovato opens up about feeling ‘fooled’ by Max Ehrich[/video_embed]