Jason Mraz Covers ‘Instinct’, Takes A Stand For Marriage Equality

Robbie Daw | March 16, 2012 8:00 am

In case you weren’t aware, “I Won’t Give Up” crooner Jason Mraz is quite the advocate for marriage equality. So it seems fitting that the singer-songwriter/Etta James fan would choose gay mag Instinct as one of the outlets to promote upcoming LP Love Is A Four Letter Word (out April 17) in. There’s just one surprising factor: in its 15-year history, Instinct has never put a straight man on the cover — until now. “And after years of quietly supporting numerous LGBTQ organizations and charities, we thought it was time for this unsung ally to get a little respect,” the magazine notes. Catch some quotes from Mraz’s April cover story below! “One of my best friends in high school came out when I was a senior, and I thought that was one of the bravest things in the world,” Mraz, whose songs have been covered on shows such as American Idol and Glee, tells Instinct. “Where we came from, it just wasn’t the popular thing to do or be. It made me more of a risk taker in my own life because I saw the example of the way he was living in just being himself.”

The singer, whose lovey-dovey 2008 smash “I’m Yours” has been certified six times Platinum, admitted to the magazine that his personal decision not to get married until gay marriage is legal, put an irreparable strain on his previous relationship: “I put myself in the position and said, ‘Now I really know what it feels like to look at my partner and know that I can’t get married.’”

“I’ve never really talked about this, but after a couple of months, she was like, ‘This is kinda fucked up because I really want to get married and have some babies,’” he says, quickly noting that while she believed in the fight for equality, like many gay couples probably feel, got frustrated having to wait. “We eventually broke up and I think that was one of the factors. I am a stand for [marriage equality], as well as a number of causes, and I discovered that my partner wasn’t. It’s still absolutely something I stand behind and feel today.”

Instinct‘s April issue goes on sale next week.

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