Everything Chappell Roan Has Said About Her Sexuality

When you think of Chappell Roan, you can't help but picture her over-the-top drag queen persona. With her big red hair, theatrical makeup, and blinged-out costumes, she gained tons of fans from the LGBTQ+ community. "It's almost like the gays right now have the undertones of punk. We have no problem making art that's almost obnoxiously gay," she told the Los Angeles Times in a 2023 interview. Her song "Naked in Manhattan" is about pining for a girl crush, and Roan told the publication, "I had never even kissed a girl when these songs were written. It was all what I wished my life could be."

Upon Roan's first arrival in Los Angeles, she visited The Abbey, a well-known gay bar in West Hollywood. "All of a sudden I realized I could truly be any way I wanted to be, and no one would bat an eye," she shared with Headliner. "It was so different from home where I always had such a hard time being myself and felt like I'd be judged for being different or being creative. I just felt overwhelmed with complete love and acceptance, and from then on I started writing songs as the real me," the "Good Luck, Babe!" singer recalled. Soon, inspired by her time at The Abbey, "Pink Pony Club" was born. Although Roan is out and proud now, she still struggles with her sexuality, but transforming into her onstage persona is what helps her feel freer.

Before moving to Los Angeles and eventually becoming part of the elite VMA best-dressed crowd, Chappell was raised in a small Missouri town that frowned upon anything queer. "I grew up thinking being gay was bad and a sin. I went to the gay club once and it was so impactful, like magic. It was the opposite of everything I was taught," she revealed to The Guardian. After coming out later in life, Roan has trouble shaking off what she was told growing up, explaining to Rolling Stone, "I was scared of flamboyantly gay people because I was taught that. [I realized] people hate flamboyantly gay people because it exudes femininity, and people hate women." She admitted, "It took a lot of unlearning, and there's still things I'm still confused about, and [it's] why I feel so uncomfortable being gay sometimes."

Being Chappell Roan onstage helps, however, and she is more comfortable singing about sex and performing suggestive dance moves. "It's really liberating for me, because I have such a difficult time — as Kayleigh — with sex," she told Polyester. The "My Kink Is Karma" singer added, "But as the drag queen that I play, Chappell, she's not like that — she is very confident and comfortable singing about those things."