Harry Styles addressed the questions about his sexuality, and let’s agree to stop asking

Since releasing his music video for “Lights Up,” the song off his latest album Fine Line that has been hailed as a “bisexual anthem,” there’s been an influx of inquiries into Harry Styles’ sexuality. Until recently, most of those inquiries have been limited to comments on social media. In a recent interview, though, The Guardian‘s Tom Lamont attempted to address those speculations head on. However, Styles is decidedly uninterested in assigning a neat definition to either his sexuality or his gender expression.

"It’s not like I’m sitting on an answer, and protecting it, and holding it back, Styles told The Guardian regarding how he chooses to define himself. “It’s not a case of: I’m not telling you cos I don’t want to tell you. It’s not: ooh this is mine and it’s not yours. It’s: who cares? Does that make sense? It’s just: who cares?’

Styles was then asked about the apparent “clue-dropping” regarding his sexuality, which Lamont said extended beyond Styles’ sartorial choices. The album art for Fine Line, for instance, conjures both the bisexual and transgender flag designs.

"Am I sprinkling in nuggets of sexual ambiguity to try and be more interesting? No," Styles said, stating that he simply likes to exercise his right to make certain creative choices. "I want things to look a certain way. Not because it makes me look gay, or it makes me look straight, or it makes me look bisexual, but because I think it looks cool."

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Much of the speculation surrounding his sexuality and gender identity is rooted in the way he dresses. Styles also often rocks gender-fluid clothing (which, in our opinion, speaks more to his impeccable taste than his sexual preferences). But to others, his style clearly points to how he defines himself…doesn’t it?

Well, no. Not really.

"What women wear. What men wear. For me it’s not a question of that," he told The Guardian. "If I see a nice shirt and get told, 'But it’s for ladies.' I think, 'Okaaaay? Doesn’t make me want to wear it less though.' I think the moment you feel more comfortable with yourself, it all becomes a lot easier.'"

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But Styles recognized that he’s in an industry in which questions about a person’s sexual preferences are asked as if they’re fair game. Even though that idea is completely counter to common decency, Styles retains his graciousness—which is yet another reason we’re obsessed with him.

"What I would say, about the whole being-asked-about-my-sexuality thing—this is a job where you might get asked," he continued. "And to complain about it, to say you hate it, and still do the job, that’s just silly. You respect that someone’s gonna ask. And you hope that they respect they might not get an answer."

“I just think sexuality’s something that’s fun,” Styles said. “Honestly? I can’t say I’ve given it any more thought than that.”

One more time, for the people in the back: Gender is a construct, sexuality is fluid, and asking a person to define in order to make it easier for other people to understand them is never okay. Now that that’s cleared up, let’s actually start talking about Styles’ music, shall we?