Say Anything Singer Max Bemis Comes Out, Claims Bi Erasure Kept Him Closeted

Say Anything front man Max Bemis came out this week in a heartfelt nine-page letter to fans, revealing he considers himself “bi-ish or queer, or a straight guy who can also like boys.” Bemis also shared that the L.A.-based emo quartet is taking an indefinite hiatus after the release of their new album, Oliver Appropriate.

“I always talked or joked about it with my friends and found it to be blatantly clear I was [queer],” Bemis, 34, wrote of his sexuality. “I was bullied for it and called a ‘fag’ (without irony).” He adds that his queerness was often dismissed because he’s married to a woman, wife Sherri DuPree, and has struggled with mental health issues.

“I even went so far as to tell people I was also attracted to guys repeatedly. They chalked it up to my bipolar shit, which was hurtful,” he shares. “They also minimized it because I found true love early in life, and saw that as a negation of my sexuality, or at least a minimization of my right to even identify as bisexual or queer. Because I don’t want to hook up with guys. But I also didn’t hook up with a lot of girls. I wanted to fall in love with a woman, so I did.”