Sam Smith has spoken out following reports that the UK's BRIT Awards plan to keep its usual gender-based categories intact.
In 2019, reports emerged that the music awards ceremony was planning to do away with the gender binary as far as their categories were concerned - in a bid to include non-binary artists.
Smith came out as non-binary in March 2019 during an appearance of Jameela Jamil's Instagram series I Weigh. They then announced their preferred pronouns were they/them in September that year.
In the wake of increasing discussions around gender identity, The BRITs were supposedly hoping to be more inclusive - and yet a source has revealed to The Sun that while there has been "a lot of discussion", there won't be any changes to the upcoming ceremony in May.
The source added: "The concern is that looking at the artists who have released this year – with all of the restrictions and problems – scrapping separate male and female awards categories might actually have had more of a negative impact across the board.
"It’s definitely something that is going to be looked at again in subsequent years."
In response to the insider's comments, Smith took to Instagram to share their thoughts.
They said: "The Brits have been an important part of my career. One of my earliest achievements was winning Critics Choice in 2014.
"Music for me has always been about unification not division. I look forward to a time where awards shows can be reflective of the society we live in. Let’s celebrate everybody regardless of gender, race, age, ability, sexuality, and class."
Back in 2019, Smith told Jamil on her Instagram series:
"You do not identify in a gender. You are just you… you are your own special creation. That is how I take it ... I’ve always had a little bit of a war going within my body and my mind. I do think like a woman sometimes, in my head.
"Sometimes I’ve questioned ‘Do I want a sex change?’ and it’s something I still think about, like: ‘Do I want to?’ But I don’t think it is. When I saw the words ‘non-binary’ and ‘genderqueer’ and I read into it and I heard these people speaking, I was like ‘F*ck, that’s me.’"
They added: "Non-binary genderqueer is that you do not identify in a gender. You are a mixture of different things, you are your own special creation. That’s how I take it. I’m not male or female, I think I flow somewhere in between.
"It’s all on the spectrum ... I’ve been with too many straight men to know that not everyone who says they are straight is fully straight. You fall in love with people, not genitals ... maybe I’m not a woman, maybe I’m just me and maybe that’s ok."
This year's BRIT Awards 2021 have been postponed from its usual date in February to May.
