10 Influential Non-Binary Celebrities
To celebrate International Non Binary People's Day, we've compiled a list of 10 inspiring non-binary celebrities that are an influential role model for not only our current generation but those that are soon to follow! ❤️
Jumping straight into this, in no particular order...
Ruby Rose
Australian model and actress Ruby Rose Langenheim, known recently for starring in Batwoman identifies as a gender-fluid lesbian.
Ruby has publicly spoken about their identity in numerous interviews. One highlighting talk with Elle back in 2015 they stated "For the most part, I definitely don't identify as any gender. I'm not a guy; I don't really feel like a woman, but obviously I was born one. So, I'm somewhere in the middle, which – in my perfect imagination – is like having the best of both sexes."
Ruby has said she prefers she/her pronouns for the time being and has stated she once wanted to transition from female to male (FTM). Being completely open about her identity, Ruby even released a short film back in 2014 about being gender-fluid and has continued this trend of help videos.
Sam Smith
English singer and songwriter Samuel Frederick Smith publicly came out as gay in 2014, later to come out as genderqueer in 2017 in an interview with the Sunday Times stating "I feel just as much a woman as I am a man". Since then Sam is now comfortable identifying as non-binary, announcing in 2019 that "after a lifetime of being at war with my gender I've decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out...".
Sam is a strong advocate for the use of correct pronouns, with their Instagram only having pronouns 'they/them' as their bio description. They continue to work hard ensuring that everyone is treated equally and fairly and for that we applaud them!
Jonathan Van Ness
American hairdresser, 'pod-caster' and television personality, Jonathan Van Ness reached out to many of us in "Queer Eye" on Netflix back in 2018. Jonathan is a fabulous influence to everybody out there struggling to find out who they truly are!
In an interview with Out Magazine they said “I didn’t think I was allowed to be nonconforming or genderqueer or nonbinary — I was just always like 'a gay man' because that’s just the label I thought I had to be.”
Preferring the pronouns he/him, Jonathan talks about the constraints that society puts on us all and limits our expressions on who we truly are, stating "I think that a lot of times gender is used to separate and divide. It's this social construct that I don't really feel like I fit into the way I used to."
Asia Kate Dillon
American actor Asia Kate Dillon, best known for their role as Brandy Epps in Orange Is The New Black and Taylor Mason in Billions.Starring as the first Non-Binary actor within the show Billions, Asia said that playing the role of Taylor made them realise they were Non-Binary.
Asia is a strong advocate in sharing their identity to help others. With their recent appearance, staring alongside Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum; The actor revealed in an interview with Insider "I just said to [director] Chad [Stahelski] and Keanu [Reeves], you have a real opportunity here," Dillon said. "I'm a non-binary person. This character could be non-binary."
Amandla Stenberg
American actress and singer Amandla Stenberg, shot to fame in their feature role in The Hunger Games. Amandla first came out as non-binary in a Tumblr post back in 2016. Although also identifying as gay, they have stated they don't feel like a woman all the time.
Originally preferring the pronouns They/Them, Amandla is a role model for current and future generations. Defending her identity to followers who criticise her, stating "I'm allowed to explore myself and how I see myself in the world however the f--- I want,"
Although once preferring the use of pronouns, they told the Washington Post that they "didn't need those pronouns to feel comfortable... And it felt almost detrimental to those who really did need them."
Angel Haze
American rapper and singer Raykeea Raeen-Roes Wilson, known professionally as Angel Haze has been breaking the stigma and barriers within the rap scene ever since their first successful album, Dirty Gold in 2013.
Angel doesn't have any preference regarding pronouns and told The Evening Standard "If you call me ‘him’ or ‘her’ it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t consider myself of any sex. I consider myself an experience,"
Although identifying as pansexual and agender, they are a strong advocate for non-binary and genderfluid identities and use their spotlight to educate others and help those of all generations understand it's okay to be who you are regardless of how you feel!
Alok Vaid-Menon
Indian, American writer, performance artist and media personality, Alok, Vaid-Menon is a gender non-conforming and transfeminine sensation who prefers the use of singular they pronouns.
Co-creating Dark Matter, a trans South Asian performance art duo with Janani Balasubramanian; They have presented their work across 40 countries in 350 venues featuring on MTV, HOB, The New York Times, The Guardian and National Geographic. Providing a very strong platform to share their identity and fight for equality world wide within the LGBTQ+ community.
Jacob Tobia
American LGBT rights activist, writer, producer, television host and actor; Jacob Tobia has done a lot in their time to bring attention to various issues within the LGBTQ+ community.
In September 2013, Tobia raised over $10,000 for the Ali Forney Center running across the Brooklyn Bridge in five-inch heels as part of their Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) commitment to action. They were recently honored again for their larger impact to LGBTQIA+ community by CGI U in 2018 at the University of Chicago.
Identifying as genderqueer, Jacob wrote an essay for MTV on the topic of their gender; "I’m a genderqueer person who was assigned male at birth and likes to rock high heels and lipstick, but in the current moment of visibility for transgender women and men, very few people can seem to get my identity right."
Rebecca Sugar
American animator, director, screenwriter, producer and singer/songwriter; Rebecca Rea Sugar is the creator of well known Cartoon Network series Steven Universe which made it into our top 10 LGBTQ+ cartoons! In addition to their creation of Steven Universe, Rebecca was also a writer and storyboard artist in the animated series Adventure Time.. which also made it into our list! Her work on both series earnt them SIX Primetime Emmy Award nominations!
In an interview with NPR 1A Rebecca shared their identity as a bisexual non-binary woman. This had encouraged them to further stress the importance of LGBTQ+ representation in art, especially within kids cartoon shows. We thank them for their amazing content and work striving into further equality, especially for our younger generations!
Ellie Desautels
Ellie Desautels is a non-binary actor who is best known for their debut television role as Michael Hallowell, a transgender teenage boy, in NBC's Rise (2018). Ellie has always strived to share the importance on numerous areas within the LGBTQ+.
During their final year in college, they wrote and performed in their senior thesis performance project titled Oh, Sweet Child, which emphasized the importance of transgender representation by bringing real trans and non-binary stories into the spotlight.
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Although we have only included 10 this time round, there are far more amazingly talented celebrities out there doing great things for the LGBTQ+ community everyday!
Let us know in the comments if we missed someone important!
If you enjoyed this blog leave us a '+1' in the comments so we know to bring out more like this!
🎉 Happy International Non-Binary People's Day 🎉
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