Breaking the gender mould: Celebs go the non-binary way and change their pronouns

Over the years, more gender-fluid and non-binary celebrities have started to come out to share their side of the stories while ditching the he/she pronouns and opt for They/Them, breaking the gender norms for the world in the process. From Demi Lovato, Sam Smith, Janelle Monáe, to Sushant Divgikr, many celebrities have embraced a more label-free approach. Here’s taking a look at some notable one that have opened up about not fitting into a strictly male or female category.

Sushant Digvikar

In 2021, model-actor Sushant Divgikar revealed that he had to come out about his gender identity because it was giving him a lot of anxiety. “I’m gender fluid. My preferred pronouns are — he, she and they. I had to come out to all of you about my gender identity because it was giving me a lot of anxiety and, a lot of times, I just couldn’t cope with it. I realised it’s best I put it out there,” Divgikar said in the interview.

Durga Gawde

Artist, activist and drag performer Durga Gawde has been open about being gender-fluid for quite some time, and is even vocal about it. As a non-binary gender-fluid person, Gawde uses the pronouns they/them/their. “I sometimes feel like a man, sometimes like a woman, and I can shift from one identity to another in a matter of minutes. I can sense the switch,” they told Vogue.

Alok Vaid Menon

Performer Alok Vaid Menon doesn’t conform to any gender identity, and prefers the pronoun They/Them. An author of the book titled Beyond the Gender Binary, Menon has featured on multiple TV channels and raised their voice to raise awareness about transgender and the whole of LGBTQIA+ community.

Suruj Pankaj Rajkhowa

Popularly known as Glorious Luna, the actor and an androgynous model hails from Assam. The preferred pronoun is He/She/They. “As a drag queen, I was celebrated — for a change! When I put on that costume and that makeup, I was fierce. I studied in a small city, but I’ve been bullied all my life. I was shy and timid and introverted. I’ve always felt suppressed because I was so feminine,” he said in an interview.

Elliot Page

Back in 2020, actor Elliot Page came out as transgender. “I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer,” he wrote on social media, adding, “And the more I hold myself close and fully embrace who I am, the more I dream, the more my heart grows and the more I thrive. To all the trans people who deal with harassment, self-loathing, abuse, and the threat of violence every day: I see you, I love you, and I will do everything I can to change this world for the better.”

Sam Smith

In 2017, singer Sam Smith said they feel “just as much a woman as I am a man”. Just after that, Smith discussed their gender identity in another conversation. “I’m not male or female. I think I float somewhere in between,” Smith said. The singer later took to Instagram to announce that they’ve officially decided to change their pronouns, despite understanding “there will be many mistakes and misgendering.”

Janelle Monáe

Actor Janelle Monáe, who is a pansexual, came out as non-binary in 2020. They shared the news on Twitter and sued the hashtag #IAmNonbinary while quote-tweeting a now-deleted Steven Universe meme that read “Are you a boy or a girl? I’m an experience”. In an interview with The Cut, the actor opened up about the reason behind her decision. “I feel my feminine energy, my masculine energy, and energy I can’t even explain,” they said.

Cara Delevingne

In 2018, supermodel and actor Cara Delevingne revealed that she has embraced her gender-fluid identity. “When I first realised that gender is so much more fluid than ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’ it was a breakthrough moment for me,” she told Vogue.

Jonathan Van Ness

Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness identifies as non-binary. He came out as non-binary in 2019. While he has shared that he prefers to use the pronouns “he/him”, he has also used “she/her” and “they/them”. “Somedays I feel like a boy and somedays I feel like a girl. I didn’t think I was allowed to be non-conforming or genderqueer or non-binary. I was just always like ‘a gay man’ because that’s just the label I thought I had to be,” he said in an interview.

Halsey

Last year, singer Halsey quietly updated her pronouns to “she/they” on social media. She later posted some explanation behind her decision, writing, “For those asking RE: my updated IG bio, I am happy with either pronouns. The inclusion of ‘they’ in addition to ‘she’ feels most authentic to me. If you know me at all, you know what it means to me to express this outwardly. Thanks for being the best”.