These celebs are showing us that gender doesn’t have to be a permanent one-off decision…
We live in a world where people feel the need to fit everything in a neat little box labelled with a clear definition. But as more and more letters are being added to LGBTQ+ and more people are speaking out about their very unique experiences with gender and sexuality, it’s become clear that we all exist on a spectrum—and where you fall on that spectrum can shift over time.
Coming out as non-binary isn’t as clear-cut as coming out as gay or transgender. It can mean feeling female one day and male the next, feeling like both at once, or feeling like neither. For people who don’t want to conform to a label, identifying as non-binary allows them more freedom to embrace every part of themselves, especially the parts that don’t fit in a perfect little box. Here are 6 celebrities who are helping to bring non-binary to the mainstream:
Asia Kate Dillon
Hollywood has a well-documented problem with casting LGBTQ+ identifying actors in LGBTQ+ roles. There are already limited opportunities for trans actors as it is without cis actors getting all the transgender parts. There are even fewer non-binary characters in film and TV, but Asia Kate Dillon has played two. As a non-binary actor, Dillon has brought their unique perspective to the roles of Taylor Mason in Billions and the Adjudicator in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
Dillon’s character in Billions is the first-ever non-binary character with regular occurring status on television and they said playing the character helped them embrace their own non-binary status. “When I read the script for episode two and I saw the ‘they, theirs and them,’ that’s when the tears started to well up in my eyes,” they told Refinery 29. “Then when I read Axe’s response, which is, ‘Okay,’ and then the scene just continues, that’s what ultimately moved me to full-fledged tears.”
Jonathan Van Ness
Queer Eye’s resident grooming God Jonathan Van Ness has never been shy about embracing his more feminine side. He often wears dresses, skirts and high heels and has cultivated a fierce runway walk. But it wasn’t until a few months ago that he officially came out as non-binary. In an interview with Out magazine, Van Ness explained ”The older I get, the more I think that I’m non-binary — I’m gender nonconforming. Like, some days I feel like a man, but then other days I feel like a woman. Any opportunity I have to break down stereotypes of the binary, I am down for it, I’m here for it.” He went on to say he prefers he/him pronouns but he’s still exploring what non-binary means to him.
Sam Smith
Grammy-winning musician Sam Smith has been openly gay his entire career but his gender identity has gone through an evolution. He officially came out as non-binary during an interview for “I Weigh”, Jameela Jamil’s Instagram series. “I’ve always been very free in terms of thinking about sexuality, so I’ve just tried to change that into my thoughts on gender as well.” He further clarified identifying as genderqueer, stating “Non-binary/genderqueer is that you do not identify in a gender. You are a mixture of all different things. You are your own special creation. I feel just as much a woman as I am man,” he said. He still continues to use he/him pronouns for now but believes that could change one day and he is open to exploring that.
Lachlan Watson
18-year-old Lachlan Watson plays Theo Putnam on Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The character identifies as non-binary and comes out as a transgender man in the second season. Watson, who was assigned female at birth, identifies as genderqueer and pansexual and uses their own experiences to shape the character of Theo. In an interview with Bustle, Watson said, “I identified fully and completely as a trans male just because I thought that was my only option: ‘I don’t feel like a woman so I guess I’ll be a man.’” But Watson decided fully transitioning wasn’t the right path for them and has instead opted to undergo top surgery but not take testosterone.
In 2018, Watson also appeared on the Netflix special What I Wish You Knew: About Being Non-binary where they explained their own personal view on gender and what non-binary means to them.
Nico Tortorella
Actor and model Nico Tortorella came out as sexually fluid and bisexual in an interview with Vulture in 2016. The Younger star has since also come out as gender fluid and married they’re long-time partner Bethany, who also identifies as gender fluid. The couple is polyamorous and open about their relationship which is seen by many to be unconventional. But their relationship dynamics isn’t for anyone else to worry about—it only matters that it works for them and their unique, ever-evolving definitions of who they are.
In an Instagram post, Tortorella said “I have started playing with using they/them pro-nouns for myself and for any one I can when it’s appropriate. We are ALL multidimensional dynamic creatures and as much as I understand the spectrum, the less I believe in the binary of gender, the more liberated I myself am becoming.”
Ruby Rose
Model, actress and activist Ruby Rose has credited her experience as a model with helping her discover androgyny and experiment with different gender expressions. She came out a lesbian at age 12 and thought for awhile that she wanted to transition to male but has since changed her mind. “I am very gender fluid and feel more like I wake up every day sort of gender neutral,” she has said. Although she considers herself gender fluid, she prefers to use she/her pronouns for now.
Rose has gotten some backlash for identifying as both lesbian and gender fluid, to which she said, “I’m a woman that identifies as a woman. I’m not trans. But if being gender-fluid means that I can’t identify as a woman at any point, then I guess I can’t be that. Maybe I need to make up another term, one that doesn’t step on any toes. One where I can be fluid in my gender, but also a lesbian, because otherwise, I’m not sure what I am.” Rose is an example of how even a non-binary or gender fluid label—one that is supposed to be flexible—can still come with constraints and “rules” people expect you to abide by.
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