Stell Ajero of SB19 is one of the most outspoken celebrities out there. He's known for his great vocals and his goofy personality, but also for the fact that he understands the right way to respond to negativity and fake news online.
Since SB19 made their debut in 2018 and rose to stardom, rumors about his sexual orientation have consistently circulated. Persistent questioning of whether Stell is straight or gay occurs from time to time, and the P-pop idol knows all about it.
Whether it's from his detractors, or perhaps just a nosy online citizen scrolling through SB19's content, Stell asked one important thing: "Tingin po ba nila insulto iyong ganong klaseng bagay?"
Stell expressed his clear perspective on the matter in an interview on Fast Talk With Boy Abunda. Stell found peace by just ignoring the hearsay and gossip, and focusing on his craft as an artist. For him, it was never an issue if he was gay or not.
"I don’t mind na kung if ever man isipin nila na ganon. Kasi, if ever man na ganon ako, what’s the problem? So if ever na ganoon ako, anong problema? So, may issue ba tayo if for example maging bakla ako or anything naman na matawag niyo sa akin?" Stell declared.
He further noted that in reality, regardless of sexual orientation, he sees everyone as equal human beings—all with their own strengths, weaknesses, and quirks. Stell also spoke directly to anyone trying to bring him down, "Pare-parehas naman tayong tao. Pare-parehas naman tayong kumakain. Pare-parehas naman tayong dumudumi. So, I don’t think mayroon kang kinalamang sa akin."
ALSO READ: LIST: Filipino Celebs Who Are Allies Of LGBTQIA+ Community
SB19 Stell sheds light on "shipping" among their fans
Interestingly, aside from people who either 1) look down on an LGBTQIA person or 2) expect them to "come out" publicly, Stell thinks the "shipping" phenomena among fans contribute to how others view him.
According to Merriam-Webster, "Shipping is the act of creating a romantic pairing between two people or characters who are not otherwise romantically linked. Shippers are the people who ship these characters; the pairing itself is called a ship."
So in this scenario, shipping in celebrity culture is when fans pair two famous people together romantically, inspiring the fandom belief that they are in a real-life relationship.
Stell disclosed that the group knows how he is being shipped with fellow SB19 member Pablo. He mentioned that the shipping probably started because of how close and sweet they act as friends and as co-members.
Stell acknowledges that shipping might be a staple in fandom culture nowadays. It's not something that they can totally avoid. However, they want to correct it if it's gone way too far.
"Sa issue naman po na yung mga fans mahilig sa shipping, hindi namin maiiwasan 'yon. Kasi kami nga minsan, nagkakaano rin kami... bakit parang ganon yung tingin ng tao. Ayaw rin naman naming hayaan siya at maapektuhan kami as friends, as a group," he expressed.
He recalled one "shipping" video he saw, in which Pablo was described as someone who acted rude towards a celebrity who was speculated to have a crush on Stell. Stell thinks that the video is misleading, saying that it might be a light moment for them, but some fans would think it's real and that would cause it to become a huge issue.
"Kasi kung sa amin joke lang siya at sa iba, sa public iniisip nila totoo, magagawan pa ng malalang isyu, na parang doon sa napanood ko. May napanood po kasi ako na parang tinatarayan daw ni Pablo yung isang artist. Parang crush daw po ako [ng celebrity], tapos noong na-meet [siya] ni Pablo, tinarayan daw siya ni Pablo kasi nalaman na crush ako," he recalled.
Stell concluded, "All of a sudden, may ganung mga issue na pala, kaya gusto rin namin siyang ma-break."
