Sam Smith, who identifies as genderqueer and nonbinary, has embraced gender neutral pronouns.
The British singer-songwriter made the announcement on Instagram Friday, telling fans and the media that, in an effort to “embrace myself for who I am,” their pronouns are “they” and “them.”
“I understand there will be many mistakes and mis gendering but all I ask is you please please try,” Smith wrote. “I hope you can see me like I see myself now.”
“I am at no stage just yet to eloquently speak at length about what it means to be nonbinary but I can’t wait for the day that I am,” they added. “So for now I just want to be VISIBLE and open.”
The four-time Grammy winner has been frank about their gender identity in recent months. In a March interview with “I Weigh” movement founder Jameela Jamil, they explained how hearing the stories of other nonconforming people helped them identify as genderqueer and nonbinary.
“When I saw the nonbinary, genderqueer, and I read into it, and I heard these people speaking, I was like, ‘Fuck, that is me,’” Smith said. “Nonbinary, genderqueer is that you do not identify in a gender ― you are just you.”
“You are a mixture of all different things. You are your own special creation,” they added. “That’s how I take it: I’m not male or female. I think I float somewhere in between. It’s all on the spectrum.”
Smith ― who will appear on the soundtrack of the Judy Garland biopic, “Judy” ― has recently embraced more gender-bending styles in their performances and on the red carpet as well. In March, they paid tribute to the Harlem ball scene of the 1980s and ’90s in the video for their latest single, “How Do You Sleep?”
At the 2019 GQ Men of the Year Awards last week, they walked the red carpet in heels for the first time.
“There was a time where I thought I’d never ever ever be able to be myself like this in front of the industry or anyone,” they wrote on Instagram while sharing a photo of their Gucci-designed footwear. “They’ll always be my virgin heels.”