Shawn Mendes just sent a beautiful message of support to his transgender best friend Teddy Geiger.
Geiger came out publicly as transgender at the end of last year.
She then made her first public appearance since the announcement earlier this month.
Geiger is an Australian singer-songwriter who originally appeared on Australian Idol. She now writes songs for One Direction and Shawn Mendes.
So when Billboard asked Mendes for his thoughts on his best friend’s transition, he couldn’t help but beam with pride.
Her first red carpet outing | Photo: YouTube / Access
He said: ‘For me… one of my closest friends going through a transition period in her life, was incredible to watch.
‘There was a moment when I remember I referred to Teddy as “she”, like without thinking, and it takes time to be able to learn that, obviously.
‘And the way she looked at me was this intense amount of joy that I swear if everybody in the world experienced one of their best friends experiencing that, there would be no questions.
‘People would not be questioning it. It’s just not worth it to question it.
‘Let somebody be and feel and live how they want to live,’ he said.
On his advice for straight people to be better allies to their LGBTI friends, he said: ‘Just open your eyes and open your mind.’
Shawn Mendes: ‘I’m not gay’
Although Shawn Mendes is straight, he’s a strong ally for the LGBTI community.
Addressing rumors of him being gay, Mendes took to Snapchat to explain.
He said: ‘I’m not gay.
‘It shouldn’t make a difference if I was or if I wasn’t. The focus should be on my music, not my sexuality,’ he said.
