What does non-binary mean? A look at stars who have ditched gender labels

Updated: May 19, 2021 / 12:46 PM CDT

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 24: L.G.B.T. activists and their supporters rally in support of transgender people on the steps of New York City Hall, October 24, 2018 in New York City. The group gathered to speak out against the Trump administration’s stance toward transgender people. Last week, The New York Times reported on an unreleased administration memo that proposes a strict biological definition of gender based on a person’s genitalia at birth. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

(NewsNation Now) — Demi Lovato announced Wednesday they were non-binary and changed their pronouns to they/them, but what does it mean to be nonbinary?

Non-binary refers to a person who does not identify only as a man or woman, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

“Non-binary people may identify as being both a man and a woman, somewhere in between, or as falling completely outside these categories,” the organization says.

The term Non-binary can also be an umbrella phrase for identities such as agender, bigender, genderqueer, or genderfluid. Someone who identifies as nonbinary may also be transgender or identifies differently than the sex they were assigned at birth.

Those who identify as non-binary often use the they/them pronoun instead of she/her or he/him.

Demi Lovato is not the only entertainer to ditch gender labels. Here’s a list of celebrities who also identify as non-binary.

Sam Smith

In 2019, Singer Sam Smith came out as non-binary.

“After a lifetime of being at war with my gender I’ve decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out,” they wrote via Twitter.

Lovato shared similar sentiments in their coming-out video. Lovato said being non-binary best represents their fluidity.

“I feel this best represents the fluidity I feel in my gender expression and allows me to feel most authentic and true to the person I both know I am and am still discovering,” they said.

Janelle Monáe

Last year, the artist retweeted a tweet celebrating being a non-binary person, which read, “There is absolutely nothing better than living outside the gender binary.” The singer quoted the tweet with a #IAmNonbinary hashtag.

Elliot Page

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 03: Elliott Page attends “Tales Of The City” New York Premiere at The Metrograph on June 03, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

The actor came out as a trans male this year via Instagram. “I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer. And the more I hold myself close and fully embrace who I am, the more I dream, the more my heart grows, and the more I thrive,” He wrote.

He also was the first trans man featured on a Time magazine cover.

Amandla Stenberg

“The Hate U Give” star is non-binary. “Something we are struggling with is understanding the intersection of feminism and gender identity. we’re both people who don’t feel like ‘women’ all the time – but we claim feminism as our movement. Basically, we’re trying to understand the duality of being a non-binary person and a feminist,” they wrote via Tumblr when announcing their workshop on feminism.

Sara Ramirez

The former “Grey’s Anatomy” star said they were non-binary in an Instagram post. They wrote, “New profile pic. In me is the capacity to be Girlish boy, Boyish girl, Boyish boy, Girlish girl, All, Neither #nonbinary.”

Miley Cyrus

In 2015, Miley Cyrus revealed that she is genderfluid. “I don’t relate to being boy or girl, and I don’t have to have my partner relate to boy or girl,” Cyrus said.

Tommy Dorfman

Dorfman said in 2017 they identify as non-binary. “Physically, biologically I am male, and I’ve never wanted to change that. Yet inside, I am considerably more female,” they said.

Indya Moore

The “Pose” star is transgender and non-binary. “I’m non-binary but I don’t really talk about it that much. I don’t feel like people really are there yet for understanding it, which I don’t mind, but I also acknowledge the way people see me as a woman,” they said.