Who gives a damn if Sufjan Stevens is gay? part 1
Apparently, a lot of people do. According to Measure Map and Google Analytics, approximately half of visitors get here by searching some variation of “sufjan stevens gay.”
This got me wondering: why do people care if Sufjan Stevens is gay, why would they wonder if he is gay in the first place, and why do they come here?
The third one is obvious:
- This blog is third one down from the top for “sufjan stevens gay” on Google.
- The first two are completely spurrious hits.
- NNDB, the most comprehensive “gay or not” database, does not have an entry for Sufjan Stevens.
I’ll try to tackle the first question, why do people care if Sufjan Stevens is gay, in the next entry.
Sufjan Stevens Listner said,
December 14, 2005 at 3:03 pm
One might wonder whether he’s gay when trying to interpret the stories behind his song lyrics. Sometimes it isn’t clear whether the character in the song is himself or someone else.
A girl who used to love him said,
December 21, 2005 at 12:15 am
i’m pretty sure sufjan is gay. there are too many factors and reasons to list here, but added up, they point to it, for sure. he sets off all my friends’ gaydars. people care because he’s gorgeous but not terribly masculine. women don’t want to waste their fantasies on a boy who loves boys.
Arianna said,
June 23, 2006 at 3:55 pm
His stories also spurred me to wonder if he is or not. I know that not all lyrics artists write are about them, and when interpreting his poetry I try to keep that in mind. I also believe, however, that some of the best artists are so brilliant because they write from the heart, from their own experiences, and from what they know.
Now it remains to be seen whether I’m interpreting everything correctly in the first place.
Yes, he’s an amazing artist, and yes, he’s frigging gorgeous, no matter what his orientation.
alex said,
August 8, 2006 at 4:52 am
well, i think he’s gay. i’m not gay. not that there’s anything wrong with that…
lily said,
September 6, 2006 at 1:03 am
I am a huge fan of a his music and my view of him wouldn’t change at all if it turns out he is gay but i was just genuinely curious. there are a few lyrics that made me wonder like ”
you gave up a wife and a family to be alone with me” anyways i love him HEAPS
Sarah said,
October 19, 2006 at 8:50 pm
yeah i’ve been trying to tackle the answer to this question as well..my friend said that one of her close friends is an acquaintance with Sufjan himself and that he is indeed on the gay side, but who knows these days. Even if he is gay, im willing to overlook this fact simply becuase his music is sheer perspicacity and he is beautiful
m said,
October 31, 2006 at 4:34 pm
Haha. The more sufjan stevens gay posts you do the more people (like me) will end up here.
Oh he’s just so damn beautiful and girls like me want to read, “Sufjan Stevens gay? Absolutely not.”
adam said,
November 13, 2006 at 2:22 pm
or boys like me who want to read ’sufjan stevens gay? fabulously so!’.
i saw him in concert back in october and that’s when i started wondering. i got a gay vibe, so i want the confirmation.
Charlie said,
November 14, 2006 at 2:29 pm
I just did a search on Sufjan Steven’s and Gay and I was brought to this site. My friend and I were wondering about him. News to me! Anyway, it really doesn’t matter if the dude is gay or straight. I have read some harsh statements about this topic and am a little turned off. I am gay. I am not a flaming, feminine, girly boy. I am a dude and could beat most guys in their choice of sport. Please don’t stereotype us…you’d never know I was and you wouldn’t know my friends were either.
Regardless, I hope Sufan is gay - for my sake ;). Most talented people have their thing…that’s why they are talented, because there is this story (or soul) that is unique that yearns to express something most of us can’t even relate to. His life is going to be different - maybe because he is gay, maybe because his family was crazy, or he was abducted by aliens, who knows…I’m not saying all GAY people are really awesome and talented…that is reserved for myself and a small number of gays hehe.
We cannot do what he does…and because of that - gay or straight - he is a God. So like him because of his music, not for his sexual preference…or his really hot smile and awesome musical skills.
Dingo Bear said,
November 27, 2006 at 12:34 am
He is gay, I sucked him off two months ago in Duluth, Minnesota. Small penis.
Hanna said,
January 23, 2007 at 4:37 pm
“You gave up a wife and a family to be alone with me”- those lyrics are refering to Jesus. If you actually read the words to the song you’d realize that he’s saying that he’s devoted to Jesus. “You gave your body to the lonely they took your clothes…you gave your ghost…to be alone with me you went up on a tree” duh, Jesus gave himself over for humanities sins, for the poor sick and desperate because it was the will of God. The people took his clothes and cast lots for them. Went up on a tree= crucified.
I think people read him wrong because he’s not like anyone else. He has a beautiful soul. More power to him if he is gay, but I don’t think he is.
littlest// said,
February 4, 2007 at 11:21 am
I stumbled here typing ’sufjan stevens gay’ into Google… and I was curious to try and get a bit of background to his lyrics. I myself am a young lesbian so I was just wondering if I was assigning meanings to things because they are my own experiences, of because they’re inherent in the song. I still don’t know. It doesn’t matter.
WHO CARES said,
March 20, 2007 at 1:53 pm
YOU ALL NEED A LIFE!!!!!!!!!! WHO THE HELL CARES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
your all fags said,
March 20, 2007 at 1:54 pm
FAGS!
your all fags said,
March 20, 2007 at 1:55 pm
FAGSGAGSGSGS
your all fags said,
March 20, 2007 at 1:55 pm
SUCK IT UP YOU LITTLE WHINERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Scott said,
April 9, 2007 at 8:52 am
Hey I was curious just as the rest of you all and as opposed to searching “sufjan stevens gay” in google I typed “sufjan stevens girlfriend” and came up with an article stating that his girlfriend Rosie Thomas and he are having a baby. According to http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/2006/04/05, he is not gay, actually appears to be far from it. This article was from last year so I think all the rumors can be dismissed now.
Anonymous said,
April 12, 2007 at 4:18 pm
I was just wondering because “The Predatory Wasp of Pallisades” has some pretty ambiguous lyrics that kinda point in that direction. Purely interested because of the lyrics.
Ford said,
April 16, 2007 at 3:04 am
On a completely different note, if Sufjan and Rosie Thomas have a kid, that little dude/dudette will become some sort of living musical talent singularity, all turning into a talent black hole and sucking up other people’s talents. I’m googling right after this comment to see if that’s true, because if it is, im gonna have to build an anticipatory shrine to this kid’s first album.
47 said,
May 22, 2007 at 11:22 pm
well she (Rosie Thomas) is having his baby so i would hope to god hes not gay
http://rewriteablecontent.blogspot.com/2007/01/rosie-thomas-sufjan-their-baby.html
Anonymous said,
May 29, 2007 at 3:55 pm
He does have a serious case of the cutes, so I do hope he is…
But either way,
It may be important to note that in the case of ”You gave up a wife and a family / To be alone with me” from “To Be Alone with You” he appears to be referring to Jesus (To be alone with me / you went up on a tree). The song is from Seven Swans, which deals heavily with his faith.
Anonymous said,
May 31, 2007 at 10:02 pm
the rosie thomas baby thing was a joke. He wrote an e-mail saying they aren’t having a baby. I don’t think he’s gay.
isabella said,
July 13, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Okay, there’s that one picture of Sufjan with a wife and kids..
Is that his wife and kids?
It might just be a funny/cute little stage photo. Or his sister or something.
…or maybe not???
fan said,
July 28, 2007 at 5:48 pm
sufjan said in a interview that he kissed girls on factory rooftops and in highschool had a girlfriend so i’m pretty he’s not gay but it doesn’t really matter to me. i just love his music and by the way that picture of his wife and kids aren’t really his wife and kids, he’s not married.
LY said,
August 11, 2007 at 3:16 pm
I like his musik,and I don’t care whether he is gay or not
and I don’t like someone here,really rude,and stupid
I’m bisexual,I’m not so sure that if he is straight.
gay hater said,
August 12, 2007 at 7:18 am
I do care if he’s gay because gays are just not cool. Sufjan is so cool and if he were actually gay I would be forced to think he’s a nerd.
All gay people need to go back to Nairobi and stop pretending they still live there by playing Mario’s Missing.
In conclusion: Gays are gay.
LY said,
August 16, 2007 at 1:21 am
I’m pretty damn sure he is not a gay now
if anyone of u listened his musik carefully u’ll find out that
and gay man usually got big tits..but in some of his pics we can see that this man is totally straight
and y he doesn’t talk about his opinion on gay things
because that relating his belief
check this
http://www.nerve.com/screeningroom/music/sufjanstevens/
How about prejudices in relation to your faith? Do your Christian beliefs influence your politics on such topics as gay marriage?
The gay marriage thing is such a big deal now, but I think it’s completely messed up because it has nothing to do with love or marriage anymore. It’s totally about differences of opinion and it’s being used to divide people.
But what do you personally think? Is gay marriage okay?
I don’t make any political claims at all. I don’t want to talk about that.
I notice you don’t have a lot of songs that concern love or sex in general. Is sex not a big part of your life?
Not necessarily. It doesn’t mean that I’m not capable of loving or having sex, of course. I just think that in my creative vision I’m preoccupied with other things, and I think a lot of these songs about love and sex out there are so vague and abstract and meaningless. But yeah, I don’t think I write typical love songs because it’s been done. But I’m open to new things. I think what I do musically is sort of more scholarly and maybe slightly more intellectual than your typical pop music, which sounds so presumptuous, but when you’re using literary allusions and history your work is going to have more of a scholarly feel. That was the point of this record from the very beginning.
Henry said,
September 24, 2007 at 4:44 pm
I know he’s gay he’s my cousin how could i not know
Lee said,
October 22, 2007 at 12:56 am
Even if he has or has had a girlfriend he could still be bi. p.s. what a hottie w/ a naughty body!
Rob said,
November 2, 2007 at 5:53 am
Well I am gay and I think he’s hot and can anyone set us up?
Duncan said,
December 25, 2007 at 7:52 pm
I don’t care if he is gay (and I am straight if that makes a difference) but I’m not so sure that his lyrics are as homoromantic as they sound. People often cite Casimir Pulaski Day and John Wayne Gacy, Jr. as evidence that he is gay. If you look at the lyrics for Casimir Pulaski Day that people usually cite: “And the complications you could do without when I kissed you on the mouth,” and “oh the glory when you ran outside with your shirt tucked in and your shoes untied,” and think about them in context they don’t have the homosexual connotation that many people believe they have (and I thought so too at first… thus the “Is Sufjan Stevens Straight” google search that led me here.
Duncan said,
December 25, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Part 2 of comment -
The complications a dying teenager could do without is the romantic interest of a friend and the curiosity about having a relationship with someone you will never be able to have one with. The sexuality of the subject is completely ambiguous in the context of a song about a dying teenage friend. Had the song had nothing to do with dying then it could be taken to mean that the complications had to do with something else, but that is not the case. With regard to the shirt tucked in - people often cite this as evidence that the subject is male. However, the lyric is about the awkwardness of the situation-the subject dressed quickly and ran outside. What is more awkward for a girl - a shirt tucked in or untucked? Obviously it would be more awkward for a girl to have her father discover that she had spent the night with a boy, and then run outside with her shirt tucked in and her shoes untied.
think before you leave a comment said,
December 30, 2007 at 11:23 pm
Sufjan Stevens is not gay. I believe he is a beautiful artist and knows what music is about and also that only he knows the interpretations of his songs unless he decides to reveal it to us somehow. Most of the songs on “Seven Swans” do imply many spiritual issues and events in Scripture and in my opinion reveal his faith in Christ. Many of his references to a “He” I believe could be Jesus and it most likely is. His music is fascinating a complete work of art unlike any other.
Adam said,
January 10, 2008 at 2:01 pm
To the person who made the comment about overlooking Sufjan being gay,
Why would someone need to overlook this? It wouldn’t make him any less of a person, I am straight, thats my choice, maybe hes gay and thats his. Yes, he is a fantastic musician, and one of the great songwriters of our generation, but why should you have to overlook something about him because it doesn’t fit your ideal picture of him. A man’s sexuality should be erroneous to your outlook on him. The kicker is, thats not the way it is. I wish it was.
Sufjan Stevens said,
March 16, 2008 at 2:49 pm
i’m not gay.
So confusing! said,
April 2, 2008 at 7:02 pm
I don’t know if Sufjan’s gay or not…and frankly this none of the comments above were any good to prove either argument. I don’t know.
I still can’t figure out though…He’s not married, right? And he never had the kid w/ Rosie Thomas…
Stephenie said,
April 11, 2008 at 4:52 pm
I have to say, as a student of literature and a short fiction writer, that the narrative voice is more often than not NOT the voice of the author. I have often written from the point of view of a male character or as a female character completely different from myself. It shows maturity, on Sufjan’s part, to not be tied down to himself in his art. Unlike most second-rate, high school hacks, Sufjan doesn’t have to be the center of all his works.
Stephenie said,
April 11, 2008 at 4:57 pm
I feel behooved to address The predatory wasp song because I had read online that Stevens admitted it was an incident from childhood. I don’t think that having a strong/confusing relationship with a friend, as a child, is evidence of a sexual preference. I had very strong affection for my girlfriends, as a young girl - before the world said you were gay to tell a friend that you loved her. I say “Bravo” to the song. There is a strong, innocent love connected with childhood summers with best friends. Ease up, people.
RubyLou said,
June 3, 2008 at 8:18 pm
I think its unfair to pigeon hole a man who does not fit a ‘man’ stereotype i.e. very masculine as being gay, especially someone who is clearly so creative and intelligent as Sufjan Stevens, people automatically put him in the Gay bracket as if that MUST be the only explanation! Like assuming that because his music is difficult to read into, or does not give clear meanings into his feelings that he is automatically Gay, what if we asked if he was straight, im sure i could find tons of ‘quotes’ from his music that shows him being straight, people can read into anything what they will really. And why does it matter? He’s writing music for people to listen to and enjoy, and you can tell that he’s an incredibly private and shy person and clearly does not want media speculation about his life let alone his sexuality so why should he even have to answer when asked if he is gay or not? that is probably why he doesn’t answer.
Oh my said,
June 27, 2008 at 2:52 am
He is not gay.
His songs are about jesus not a romantic love relationship with another man. Hes just kind of obscure about it , which is good.
Eg, his lyric “Ill never know the man who loved me”.. in the song “To be alone with you”.. that song is about christs relationship with humanity
Songs for me said,
August 6, 2008 at 12:32 am
Maybe he is gay…but everyone knows he writes those beautiful songs for me!
jk
Bobby said,
September 18, 2008 at 2:54 am
He’s gay.
I sucked him off and his cock tasted like shit.
What more proof do you need?
Tiffany said,
September 28, 2008 at 5:49 am
If he’s gay, nothing will change in my opinion of him or his music, but I will be sad because then my dream of being Mrs. Stevens will be completely shot. =(
Jimmy said,
November 3, 2008 at 11:54 am
Sufjan is definitely gay.
I didn’t want to believe it, but I knew for sure the other day when we were in our post-coital spooning, and he was looking back at me longingly, and he asked me if I’d put on the new Coldplay album while I fingerbanged his anus.
I called him a fag and left.