Sam Smith came out to the world on Sept. 13, identifying as gender fluid with they/them/their pronouns, and the world was most accepting. Gender fluidity means that their gender identity is constantly changing, but pronouns can depend on what the person prefers.  The singer/songwriter has always been very open with their sexuality, and they write in the caption of their post, “I’ve decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out”. Sam Smith isn’t the first or only celebrity to come out as gender-fluid; the number of celebrities who openly express their gender identity has been growing. 

One of the first mainstream celebrities to come out as gender-fluid is Miley Cyrus. Cyrus came out as gender fluid in 2015 and the world was shocked. In a time that spoke about two binaries or your traditional genders, and hardly talked about other genders people were confused and critical. Since Cyrus grew up in the public eye, their coming out as pansexual and genderfluid seemed taboo. Many couldn’t imagine a child star outside their assigned gender and heteronormative standards. Cr yus, in an interview with Billboard, explained that “It has nothing to do with any parts of me or how I dress or how I look. It’s literally just how I feel.”  Cyrus’s coming out helped pave the way for more actors to be public with their gender identity. 

More and more actors have come out and become household icons within the LGBTQ+ community. Celebrities like Amandla Sternberg and Ezra Miller are very open about their sexuality and identities and show us every day how they break through the binary. Ezra Miller, who is genderqueer and uses he/him pronouns, presented to us on the MetGala carpets and his movie premiers each year that makeup, skirts, and dresses aren’t only for girls but for all people. Amandla Sternberg has been showing us looks on their red carpet premieres as they normalize wearing suits for not only men but women. Also, Sternberg, who came out as bisexual in 2016 then as of last year informed the public that they were gay and go by her/they pronouns, gave an example of how one doesn’t have to define sexual orientation or pronoun forever if it doesn’t feel appropriate to them. 

Gender is a spectrum, and no one should be held to just boy-girl binaries Sexuality and gender identity can change, too, and that’s okay. I personally don’t find it hard to understand the concept of the gender spectrum because I am part of the community, but it can take a while. My advice is to always ask someone their pronouns; it’s not rude at all and it’s better than assuming. People who are trans and nonbinary have high suicide rates and depression rates when those around them constantly misgender them. In a world that is still uninformed about LGBTQ+ education, it’s our job to make things like different pronouns, preferred names, and sexualities normalized.