Wayne Brady on why coming out as pansexual made "The Wiz" star happy

Wayne Brady on Monday at the Live Out Loud’s 23rd annual Young Trailblazers Gala in New York City, spoke about his coming out as pansexual, and why the decision to do so was rooted in his own personal happiness. Receiving the Pathfinder Award in honor of his efforts toward supporting and bettering the LGBTQ+ community, Wayne shared with PEOPLE that his advocacy work is something he "would've done earlier."

"Knowing the work that's being done here, and the fact that I can talk to the youth and try to encourage them to live out loud, it's something that I wish that I would've done earlier," the actor, comedian and media personality said. "The fact that the organization can encourage them and make them feel safe — that's something I wish that I would've done.

"It's been a year. Folks expect your life to change in some radical way, and it doesn't. It just changes that you get a level of freedom that you're happy with," he continued. "No one's going to throw me a parade. It's more about me being happy."

Regarding the response he received from the public when he came out in August of 2023, Brady said, "A lot of people loved it and applaud you, some people don't care, and other people probably hate on it. So that's just the human condition.

"But, at the end of the day, circling back around to the last year, I'm happy. So, no matter what any of them say, I'm great."