Jaymi Hensley says George Shelley’s coming out was a ‘witch hunt’
After George Shelley came out via YouTube this week, and Dan Wootton and Neil Milan had a slanging match over it, George’s Union J bandmate Jaymi Hensley has now weighed in on the situation saying that the press treated the coming out “like a witch hunt.”
The 25-year-old singer told a panel at National Student Pride this weekend that a gay journalist has been “goading for George’s sexuality for the last six months.”
Jaymi says: “What I don’t like is when the media reporters and journalists bait people and they’re setting people up to see them fail. And it’s gay reporters as well, let me add, this person is a gay man, goading for George’s sexuality for the last six months, we’ve been dealing with this behind the scenes.”
“My coming out was page 36 of The Sun…that’s how I wanted it. It wasn’t news, it shouldn’t be news… it should be humanised, normalised, and for reporters in the media to still be doing that now, I think it’s a disgrace,” he continued.
Listen to the audio of Jaymi’s speech below:
https://audioboom.com/boos/4152951-jaymi-hensley-journalist-s-attempts-to-reveal-george-shelley-s-sexuality-was-a-witch-hunt
We caught up with Jaymi after the panel, where he told us he was “so proud” of the way George had handled coming out.
“He’s had to address all these feelings in the public – I can’t relate, because I addressed them when I was 14 – but for him to do what he’s done, it takes a lot of guts.
“We had conversations about it, but I never wanted to influence him in any way, because it’s his story and his journey, and his to tell.”
He adds: “I’ve spoken to him [since], and he’s really happy”.
Of the criticism certain sections of the media have faced for referring to George as bisexual, despite the young star’s refusal to label his sexuality, Jaymi says: “I personally like labels. I think it gives the gay community a unified voice. But I understand people’s decision not to want to have labels, and I think people should respect that.”
More stories:
Gay Atheist flees Syria to escape discrimination, is mocked by other refugees
Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign makes appeal to same-sex parents