Wayne Brady comes out as pansexual; 'I love all people equally, and now that includes myself’

Wayne Brady, known to UK audiences for his time as a contestant on the US version of “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” has come out and announced that he identifies as a pansexual. His revelation came during an interview with People magazine, which covered sexuality, shame and mental health. 

“I’m a pansexual,” he revealed to the interviewer, “[and] in doing my research, both with myself and just with the world, I couldn’t say if I was bisexual, because I had to really see what that was, especially because I really have not gotten a chance to act on anything,” 

“So, I came to pansexual because — and I know that I’m completely messing up the dictionary meaning — but to me, pan means being able to be attracted to anyone who identifies as gay, straight, bi, transsexual or non-binary. Being able to be attracted across the board.”

Brady first came out to his ex-wife, Taketa and his daughter Maile, 20 as part of a journey of “self-discovery” he embarked on after the death of his friend Robin Williams in 2014 and has admitted that he would often be asked if he was gay by friends; although he confirmed that he isn’t gay, the pansexuality helped explain his attraction towards men.

He would admit in the interview to struggling with the realisation that he was attracted to certain men in his life because he was overcome with shame and wanted to push it aside because of the way he was raised. “And because I live in today’s world, and it’s scary as s**t”

What is pansexuality?

Pansexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by the potential for attraction to people regardless of their gender identity or gender expression; individuals, such as Wayne Brady or Janelle Monae (who came out a pansexual in 2018) who identify as pansexual are attracted to people based on emotional, romantic, or sexual factors without being limited by traditional gender categories. 

In other words, those who identify as pansexual are open to forming relationships and experiencing attraction to individuals of any gender, whether it's male, female, transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, or any other gender identity.

If you are facing difficulties regarding your sexuality or gender and need support, the Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline is open from 10am to 10pm daily and can be called on 0300 330 0630. For those in Scotland, you can contact LGBT Health Scotland on a Wednesday and Thursday on 0300 123 2523 (12pm - 9pm)