The world out there can be scary, especially when you’re a part of a minority. Misunderstandings and ignorance can cause a lot of fear and hatred, especially when it comes to lesser-known identities like being non-binary.
Sam Smith is well aware of that.
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Sam came out in September through an Instagram post asking for people to use they/them pronouns when referring to them.
They wrote, “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.”
“I understand there will be many mistakes and misgendering but all I ask is you please please try. I hope you can see me like I see myself now.”
Sam also explained they’re passionate about one day being able to educate others.
“P.s. I am at no stage just yet to eloquently speak at length about what it means to be non binary but I can’t wait for the day that I am,” they wrote.
“So for now I just want to be VISIBLE and open.”
“If you have questions and are wondering what this all means I’ll try my best to explain,” they wrote, following it up by tagging the Instagram accounts of various non-binary educators, activists, and leaders.
While Sam received a ton of support, they also were on the receiving end of a lot of hatred.
In a new interview , Sam touches on that experience, saying of coming out, “I felt very vulnerable doing it but I’m realising now that’s the best space to be in. You feel joy quicker when being vulnerable like that.”
Sam explained this isn’t a new part of their personality, but it’s new feeling safe to express it.
“I’ve always been like that when in the club, with friends, with people that I feel safe with but showing it to the world is a different thing and I finally felt safe enough to do so.”
“I’m loving it. I mean, I’m scared every day,” they continued.
“Just being my feminine self in this world that we’re in,” Sam said, “The music industry… can be a bit homophobic, it’s a bit sexist at times.”
Sam insisted that it was all worth it.
“So being feminine like this in the way I move and dance and am, it feels quite scary at times but is worth it.”
Sam’s visibility in using they/them pronouns has had a huge impact.
Merriam-Webster has recently announced that their word of the year is the singular pronoun “they.” Merriam-Webster wrote, “Lookups for they increased by 313% in 2019 over the previous year.”
“English famously lacks a gender-neutral singular pronoun to correspond neatly with singular pronouns like everyone or someone, and as a consequence they has been used for this purpose for over 600 years.”
“More recently, though, they has also been used to refer to one person whose gender identity is nonbinary, a sense that is increasingly common in published, edited text, as well as social media and in daily personal interactions between English speakers.”
The announcement included a direct reference to Sam’s coming out post.
“Singer Sam Smith announced in September that they now prefer they and them as their third person personal pronouns,” the website shared.
