Nothing is more liberating for me than to be free from a position that society expects me to perform.
Demi Lovato, a singer, declared today that they are non-binary and would henceforth use the pronouns they/them. The musician announced the decision in a video posted to Twitter, which was followed by a sequence of tweets.
I don’t claim to be an expert or a spokesperson because I’m still developing as a person and learning about myself, they stated. “I’m doing this for others out there who haven’t been able to tell their loved ones who they really are,” you say.
Lovato termed this new finding a “revelation” and claimed it happened after a lot of healing and introspective work. Lovato came out as pansexual in March, which means they can be attracted to anyone regardless of gender.
On the first edition of their new podcast, 4D, Lovato expanded on the subject. Talking about what it means to be non-binary and dispelling myths and preconceptions about the LGBTQ+ community with Demi Lovato and non-binary artist Alok Vaid-Menon.
In the show, Lovato claimed that it took them years of living inauthentically and experiencing discomfort before they came to terms with who they really were. In the YouTube docuseries Dancing with the Devil, which chronicled the events leading up to Demi Lovato’s nearly fatal overdose in 2018, they recently discussed their battles with mental illness and addiction.
Vaid-Menon brought out the possibility that Lovato would face accusations of coming out solely for attention or to advance their profession due of their public profile. In response, Lovato claimed they comprehend but are unable to care. “I’m prioritising my well-being over my profession for the first time in my life. And that’s the difference between someone acting in an attention-seeking manner and presenting their truth, they claimed.
“I’m aware that not everyone will like that this is me… I can’t ignore it or repress it any longer, though, or I’ll find myself back where I was a few years ago. And I want to never return there.
As a result of concealing their actual selves to appease individuals who wanted them to be “the seductive, feminine pop star in the leotard,” Lovato recalled their overdose in 2018 as the cause of their overdose.
Lovato and Vaid-Menon discussed the fluidity of gender expression in the podcast episode, pointing out that gender identity doesn’t always transfer to how we present.
“There may be occasions when I want to dress totally in feminine fashion, such as when I wear a full wig. And just because I want to wear that at that particular time does not imply that I am identifying as a woman, Lovato remarked. I want people to realise that just because I identify as non-binary, it doesn’t mean I can’t dress however I want.
It’s not novel to live outside of the gender binary. Indigenous societies have welcomed gender and sexual diversity for thousands of years, but with the start of colonisation in the West, this openness was generally suppressed.
The presence and legitimacy of queer, transgender, and non-binary identities are being strengthened as more and more people come out as belonging to these identities. The only way to respond, according to Vaid-Menon, is to be visible. “It’s not that we are new, it’s that we’ve been so thoroughly erased,” he added.
Other well-known figures in the entertainment business have come out as non-binary and gender nonconforming in recent years. “I can’t begin to convey how fantastic it feels to finally love who I am enough to follow my real self,” said Canadian actor Elliot Page when announcing in December that they are transgender and non-binary.
Without a doubt, coming out is a scary process. Celebrities can influence the entertainment industry to be more inclusive and increase the range of representation for gender-diverse persons by doing so. Celebrities are under constant public scrutiny.
Coming out has been a freeing experience for Lovato. Nothing is more liberating for me than to be free from a position that society expects me to perform.
