Over the past few years, a number of celebrities have become increasingly open about exploring their gender identity.
Some have come out as non-binary, and others have changed their pronouns publicly. While there's still a long way to go, their candour and willingness to break down barriers is a big step forward for better representation, and we can all get on board with that!
Here are 10 celebs who have changed their pronouns in the last few years...
1. Halsey
In March of 2021, pop star Halsey announced that they would be using she/they pronouns going forward. She stated that they were happy for people to use both interchangeably, but felt that the inclusion of "they" was more authentic to their sense of self.
However, just a few months later the singer was forced to criticize a magazine for disrespecting their preferred pronouns.
The 26-year-old singer announced that they will no longer do press after Allure magazine failed to use their correct pronouns in their August cover story.
In a series of tweets made to their 14.3 million followers on the platform, Halsey stated: "hey @Allure_magazine. First, your writer made a focal point in my cover story my pronouns and you guys deliberately disrespected them by not using them in the article."
Indeed, despite the fact that the Allure story explicitly mentioned Halsey's use of both she/they pronouns, the article exclusively used she/her in the body of its text. The article itself has since been updated to use both sets of pronouns.
In a tweet to its followers, the magazine wrote: "We’ve heard your feedback and you’re absolutely right: we messed up. We are adjusting our cover story with Halsey to use both 'she' and 'they' pronouns."
2. Demi Lovato
Back in May, Demi Lovato took to Instagram to share a video with their 104 million followers. In it, they stated that were changing their pronouns to "they/them" as it "best represents the fluidity I feel in my gender expression".
Captioning the minute-and-a-half-long video, the 28-year-old wrote: "I am proud to let you know that I identify as non-binary and will officially be changing my pronouns to they/them moving forward."
"This has come after a lot of healing and self-reflective work. I’m still learning and coming into myself, and I don’t claim to be an expert or a spokesperson. Sharing this with you now opens another level of vulnerability for me," they continued.
"I’m doing this for those out there that haven’t been able to share who they truly are with their loved ones. Please keep living in your truths and know I am sending so much love your way."
Circling back to her decision to come out as non-binary earlier this month, the former Disney star asserted that: "it's OK" if you accidentally misgender them - as long as your intentions are good.
"I often find that the change in pronouns can be confusing for some, and difficult to remember for others. It's all about your intention. If you misgender me - that's OK," Lovato added. "I accidentally misgender myself sometimes! It's a huge transition to change the pronouns I've used for myself my entire life. And it's difficult to remember sometimes!"
"As long as you keep trying to respect my truth, and as long as I remember my truth, that shift will come naturally. I'm just grateful for your effort in trying to remember what means so much to my healing process."
3. Sam Smith
British singer-songwriter, Sam Smith, came out as non-binary in 2019.
They announced that they had changed their pronouns to "they/them" in an Instagram post.
Sam wrote: "Today is a good day so here goes. I’ve decided I am changing my pronouns to they/them after a lifetime of being at war with my gender I’ve decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out. I’m so excited and privileged to be surrounded by people that support me in this decision but I’ve been very nervous about announcing this because I care too much about what people think."
4. Janelle Monáe
Back in 2020, Monáe retweeted a gif of a non-binary character from the animated Cartoon Network show, Steven Universe, with the caption "'Are you a boy or girl?' I'm an experience.'"
The original Twitter user had written: "There is absolutely nothing better than living outside the gender binary.''
The singer added the hashtag "#IAmNonbinary".
5. Jonathan Van Ness
Queer Eye breakout star, Jonathan Van Ness, revealed in a 2019 interview with Out Magazine that he has been increasingly identifying as non-binary.
"I'm gender nonconforming," they told the publication. "Like, some days I feel like a man, but then other days I feel like a woman.
"I think that a lot of times gender is used to separate and divide. It's this social construct that I don't really feel like I fit into the way I used to."
6. Nico Tortorella
Younger star, Nico Tortorella, addressed their approach to gender, sexuality, and monogamy in their 2019 book, Space Between.
Tortorella and their spouse, Bethany C. Meyers, are both gender fluid and have a polyamorous relationship.
Elaborating on their union, the star said: "When Bethany and I met in 2006, I was a boy and she was a girl, whatever that means. Today Bethany and I both identify as non-binary and prefer 'they/them' pronouns."
7. Asia Kate Dillon
Asia Kate Dillion recently starred alongside Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum.
Dillon actually advocated to bring their own identity to their role as the Adjudicator. In an interview with Insider, they revealed: "I just said to [director] Chad [Stahelski] and Keanu [Reeves], you have a real opportunity here," Dillon said. "I'm a non-binary person. This character could be non-binary.
"It was a real thrill for me to get to bring that to the table and have it be warmly received."
8. Bex Taylor-Klaus
Bex Taylor-Klaus — who has starred in the likes of Dumplin, The Killing, Arrow, and Scream — disclosed to Autostraddle in 2018 that they felt limited by gender norms.
"In this day, exploring gender is taboo and stigmatized but to a lesser extent [than in the past], and it's something that I've always been a little bit afraid of because my industry can be a little bit brutal," Taylor-Klaus said.
The following month, they took to Twitter to reveal they were non-binary.
"I came out as trans non-binary in a room full of people today," Klaus wrote in the tweet. "Guess it's time for me to do that on here, too … Hi. I'm Bex, and the rumors are true. I'm v enby [non-binary]."
9. Indya Moore
Pose star, Indya Moore, plays a trans woman named angel in the series about NYC's iconic underground ballroom culture.
Speaking about their gender identity in L'Officiel Magazine, Moore said: "I'm non-binary but I don't really talk about it that much. I don't feel like people really are there yet for understanding it, which I don't mind, but I also acknowledge the way people see me as a woman."
They also took to Twitter to clarify that their preferred pronouns are "they/them", writing in a now-deleted tweet, "I'm non binary, femme, Agender feels fitting too. My pronouns: they/them/theirs. I correct people often. At times they ignore me & I tolerate it to avoid conflict/irritation but it's upsetting to feel like i'm 'too much' in a world that takes so much from trans people constantly [sic]."
10. Lachlan Watson
One of the youngest non-binary stars in Hollywood is Lachlan Watson, who starred in Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Watson plays transgender teen, Theo Putnam, and in a 2018 interview with MTV News, they described their gender identity journey as a three-part opera.
They first identified as a cisgender lesbian, then as trans, and finally as non-binary.
"That's sort of why I call it 'gender freedom' as opposed to gender fluidity, because instead of fluctuating between two options or three options or four options, you're just sort of free," Watson explained. "I've found it a really beautiful thing to just not limit myself as much as I used to."
