Celebrities Who Have Come Out as Transgender, Nonbinary or Genderqueer
Celebrities have a powerful platform to talk about causes that are important to them, and frequently the issues that resonate the most are the ones that are personal to them. Many Gen Z and Millennials have been opening the dialogue when it comes to gender identity, and they’ve helped so many people understand that there is a difference between sexual and gender identity — and how coming out as transgender, nonbinary, or genderqueer has transformed their lives.
After Elliot Page came out in December 2020 as a transgender man, he called the experience “freeing” to Oprah Winfrey in their Apple TV + interview. “It’s getting out of the shower and the towel is around your waist and you’re looking at yourself in the mirror and you’re just like, ‘There I am,'” he said. “It’s being able to touch my chest and feel comfortable in my body — for the, probably the first time.” That’s a powerful moment for the actor. Often the journey takes a long time to understand even for themselves, but that’s why these conversations are so important.
For Demi Lovato, coming out as nonbinary in May 2021 was the realization that they had denied their truth due to “being raised Christian” in the South. “Because for so many years I shoved it down and I tried to fit it into a mold of what I thought society wanted from me,” Lovato said in Bring Change to Mind’s “A Conversation Starter” live stream, via People. “And, so much freedom in my life today has come from just me living my authentic truth.”
With celebrities bringing a newfound understanding of simple things, like preferred pronouns, and more complex aspects, like making sure the transgender and queer community have access to mental health care, it creates a better path for the youth following in their footsteps. Take a look at the stars who are sharing their gender identity and opening up about their journey.
A version of this article was originally published in June 2021.
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Lio Tipton
Actress and model Lio Tipton came out as queer and non-binary back in 2021. They shared the news on Instagram, saying, “Hi. My name is Lio. My pronouns are they/she. I am proud to announce I am queer, and I identify as nonbinary.” They added, “I hope to give as much love and support back to those who continue to show love and support for the Pride community at large. ???????? Lio.”
Kim Petras
During the 2023 Grammy Awards, singer Kim Petras made history as the first trans woman to ever win the award when she won for best pop duo or group performance alongside Sam Smith. “I just wanted to thank all the incredible transgender legends before me who kicked these doors open for me so I could be here tonight,” Petras said, per Advocate.
Tommy Dorfman
Over the course of COVID-19 lockdown, 13 Reasons Why‘s Tommy Dorfman came to a realization. “For a year now, I have been privately identifying and living as a woman — a trans woman,” Dorfman revealed in a July 2021 profile with Time Magazine.
“It’s funny to think about coming out, because I haven’t gone anywhere,” Dorfman mused. “I view today as a reintroduction to me as a woman, having made a transition medically. Coming out is always viewed as this grand reveal, but I was never not out. Today is about clarity: I am a trans woman. My pronouns are she/her. My name is Tommy.”
Elliot Page
One of the biggest LGBTQ+ stories of 2020 was Elliot Page coming out as transgender and nonbinary on their social media pages. The thoughtful post was shared hundreds of thousands of times across the internet as they explained, “Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they, and my name is Elliot.”
Page, who has always had a mission of activism, promises to continue the path and create a more loving environment for the trans community. “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,” they wrote. “To all trans people who deal with harassment, self-loathing, abuse and the threat of violence every day: I see you, I love you and I will do everything I can to change this world for the better.”
Demi Lovato
In their path to sobriety, Demi Lovato has been doing some “healing and self reflective work.” That time spent prioritizing their health led to a “revelation” that they shared in a video on their Instagram feed. “I am proud to let you know that I identify as non-binary,” Lovato said. “I’m still learning and coming into myself, and I don’t claim to be an expert or a spokesperson. Sharing this with you now opens another level of vulnerability for me.”
The pop star explained to their fans on their 4D with Demi Lovato podcast not to confuse their flair for fashion as mixing up their gender identity either. “There might be a time when I want to dress completely femme-presenting and that doesn’t mean that in that moment I’m identifying as a woman,” Lovato said. “It just means that’s what I want to wear in that moment.”
Sara Ramirez
Former Grey’s Anatomy star Sara Ramirez came out as nonbinary via Instagram when they shared a new profile pic and a message to go along with their signature shaved-on-the-sides haircut. “In me is the capacity to be
Girlish boy. Boyish girl. Boyish boy. Girlish girl,” Ramirez wrote in the caption.”All. Neither.” They then confirmed the purpose of the post with the hashtag, “Nonbinary.”
Ramirez also identifies as bisexual and for a long time, worried about the consequences for their career. “Coming out publicly was something I was afraid of because I was concerned that it would affect my career in a negative way,” they told People. “I was afraid of the discrimination I might face not just outside of Hollywood but within.”
Ramirez will next be seen in the Sex and the City revival, And Just Like That.
Zaya Wade
At the age of 12 years old, Zaya Wade became a transgender icon by letting dad, former NBA player, Dwyane Wade, talk about coming out as a transgender girl. It was something she’s known “for nine years, since she was 3 years old,” Dwayne explained to Good Morning America in February 2020. The athlete boasted, “She is our leader.”
Since then, Zaya has proudly walked the red carpet with her dad and stepmom Gabrielle Union-Wade, dressed in the colors of the genderqueer flag. Dwayne posted an Instagram photo of their fashionable looks and shared an important message with his followers, “Everyone allow her to re-introduce herself her name is Zaya Wade,” he wrote. “She has emerged as one of the young faces and voices for the LGBTQ+ community.”
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus really isn’t into labels, so she doesn’t necessarily have a word that she prefers when it comes to gender identity. “I’m just equal. I’m just even. 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,” she told Time in 2015.
So don’t give her a label, but also understand she doesn’t identify as male or female either — and she likes it that way. “People try to make everyone something,” she said. “You can just be whatever you want to be.”
Cara Delevingne
Model Cara Delevingne has long embraced her bisexuality, but she admitted to British Vogue, via Evening Standard, in 2018 that realizing that “gender is so much more fluid than ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine,’ was a breakthrough moment” for her. The Paper Towns star has also kept her “she/her” pronouns because she feels like it fits the foundation of who she is.
“I believe every single one of us have masculine and feminine in us. I am a woman. I am proud of that. I’m not saying anyone should feel one certain way about their gender, or any part of who they are,” Delevingne shared with Elle. “But for me, with the times we’re in right now, it would feel weird to say I’m anything else when I am a woman, even though I understand I have masculine and feminine energy.”
Sam Smith
Singer Sam Smith has been open about their struggles with body image and coming to terms with their sexuality. Along their journey they realized that they were “not male or female,” but that they “float somewhere in between,” Smith shared in a 2019 conversation on Jameela Jamil’s I Weigh Interviews.
The “Writing’s on the Wall” singer came to a really beautiful place after discovering they are nonbinary. “Non-binary/genderqueer is that you do not identify in a gender,” Smith said. “You are a mixture of all different things. You are your own special creation.”
Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe didn’t mean to come out as nonbinary on Twitter in January 2020 because it’s not exactly how she identifies, but she can certainly relate. She wanted to support the community on “I’m not binary day,” per Variety. Her views of gender are an area she’s still “exploring.”
“I’m so open to what the universe is teaching me, and teaching all of us about gender. I definitely don’t live my life in a binary way,” she said. “I’ve always pushed, as you can see from the way that I dress to the things that I’ve said since the beginning of my career. I have fought against gender norms, and what it means to be a woman and what it means to be a man. I’m a f**king android.”
Emma Corrin
In July 2021, Emma Corrin updated their pronouns to “she/they” on their social media accounts, and has since openly discussed their gender identity journey. “My journey has been a long one and has still got a long way to go,” The Crown star told ITV’s Granada Reports, per The Hollywood Reporter.
“I think we are so used to defining ourselves. That’s the way society works within these binaries and it’s taken me a long time to realize that I exist somewhere in between and I’m still not sure where that is yet.”
Mj Rodriguez
Mj, Michaela Jaé, Rodriguez is an actress known for her work on Pose. Rodriguez made history during the 2022 Golden Globe Awards, becoming the first transgender actor to win Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Drama. She also made history when she earned a 2021 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Back in 2021, Rodriguez described what Pride Month means to her. “Living out loud and just existing, completely in your autonomy and enjoying what life has to bring, that’s what pride is,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.
Hari Nef
Hari Nef is an actress known for her work in Transparent, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and most recently in the Sex & The City reboot And Just Like That… Nef has written about transgender identity. Back in 2018, the actress shared a thought-provoking tweet about the way in which she’s been consistently referred to throughout her career.
“Dear journalists and also everyone: would you introduce Viola Davis as a “Black actress?” Would you introduce Kristen Stewart as a “gay actress?” would you introduce Millicent Simmonds as a “deaf actress?” No? Okay, cool: so please stop introducing me as a ‘trans actress,'” she tweeted.
Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox was already out to Hollywood as a transgender woman when she broke through as Sophia Burset on Orange Is the New Black. She has helped usher in the transgender revolution (even though it has a long way to go) in the entertainment industry.
“We are in a place now,” Cox told Time magazine in a 2014 cover story, “where more and more trans people want to come forward and say, ‘This is who I am.’ And more trans people are willing to tell their stories. More of us are living visibly and pursuing our dreams visibly, so people can say, ‘Oh yeah, I know someone who is trans.’ When people have points of reference that are humanizing, that demystifies difference.”
Jonathan Van Ness
On Netflix’s Queer Eye, Jonathan Van Ness is one of the breakout personalities. Even though he’s the hair guru on the show, he made many of the people he worked with feel comfortable in their own skin with his self-affirming pep talks. But his journey to revealing that he was nonbinary took a little longer.
“The older I get, the more I think that I’m nonbinary — I’m gender non-conforming. Like, some days I feel like a man, but then other days I feel like a woman,” he shared with Out magazine in 2019. “I just didn’t know what the name was. I’ve been wearing heels and wearing makeup and wearing skirts and stuff for a minute, honey. I just like didn’t know that that meant — that I had a title.”
Caitlyn Jenner
Caitlyn Jenner will always be one of the greatest American stories because she’s an Olympic gold-medal winner, a former actor, on the periphery of the OJ Simpson murder case, a part of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and now, a California gubernatorial candidate. While she can be very controversial in the trans community for her Republican politics, her coming-out story helped many people understand gender identity better.
Jenner famously revealed herself on the cover of Vanity Fair in 2015, where she told the magazine, “The uncomfortableness of being me never leaves all day long. I’m not doing this to be interesting. I’m doing this to live.”
Ruby Rose
Ruby Rose struggled with gender identity during her elementary school years when she saw herself “as one of the boys,” but classes were often split by gender and she was forced to be with the girls. “For a long time, I thought there was something a bit wrong with me, or that I wasn’t the gender I was meant to be,” the Vanquish star told The Guardian. “It took years, but eventually, I came to a place where I went: ‘OK, I think I’m just very androgynous and very in tune with the masculine energy.’”
Her gender-fluid identity led to years of bullying while she was in school, but she has an empathetic understanding of why people lash out at the LGBTQ+ community. “I think people are scared of things they don’t understand,” Rose said. “That’s just part of human nature.”
Amandla Stenberg
Amandla Stenberg came out as nonbinary in the most nonchalant way on Tumblr back in 2016. The Hate U Give star, who is known for their activism, was posting about organizing a feminism workshop with another friend when they also shared that they are nonbinary by asking some thought-provoking questions.
“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,” they wrote. “Basically, we’re trying to understand the duality of being a non binary person and a feminist. how do you claim a movement for women when you don’t always feel like one?”
Chaz Bono
Chaz Bono leads a relatively private life, but it’s important to remember that he was one of the early LGBTQ+ voices who championed trans rights. As the son of Cher and the late Sonny Bono, there was always a platform for him and he took on that responsibility with his reality show, Becoming Chaz, and as the first transgender contestant on Dancing with the Stars.
While Cher has admitted to CNN that “it wasn’t easy” to embrace Chaz as transgender, she’s now supportive of her son. That wasn’t the only challenging part of his journey as he worked through his gender and sexual identity, often confusing the two. “As I started to get older I made the mistake of thinking I was gay,” he told The Sun, “It took me a long time, into my early thirties, before I really figured out I was transgender. Then it took almost ten years to get the courage to transition because I was Cher’s child — everyone was going to know about it.”
Nico Tortorella
Younger star Nico Tortorella came to the realization that they weren’t “fully cisgender” in 2018. It took some time for the actor to grasp what they meant and what that looked like for them.
“The vocabulary for that is so wide right now, and it’s like picking which word fits best,” Tortorella told GayTimes. “I’m not quite at that stage yet, but I don’t feel one way or the other.” The process took some time for them, but they now identify as nonbinary and have established their pronouns as they/them.
Jazz Jennings
As one of the most prominent young transgender personalities as the star of TLC’s reality show, I Am Jazz, Jazz Jennings revealed that she’s been sharing her story since the age of six. And ever since then, she’s been using her “strong and powerful voice” because she knows she’s been “given this platform for a reason,” per ABC News.
Now at the age of 20, she’s continuing to talk about why elevating her story is so important to her. “I think for me, I’ve always been so honest about who I am as a person. And being transgender, I feel like it’s something that I couldn’t hide no matter what,” she told the network. “Don’t have to explain myself or the fact that I’m transgender to people who haven’t met me before. So it’s kind of– I like that about being public.”
Rose McGowan
Rose McGowan speaks for a lot of people, who no longer want to fit into the “construct” of identifying as male or female. They came out as nonbinary on the Love, Alexi podcast where they talked about their reservations in putting people in a box. “I think we’re never going to solve anything by going into the man/woman construct,” the former Charmed star said. “Step back to humanity.”
But being a member of the LGBTQ+ community isn’t always easy for McGowan. They sometimes find blowback from “cis white female[s]” because they feel like they aren’t putting enough activism into the fight for equal rights. “Don’t put me in your construct, you do not get to say what I am, you do not get to tell me who I am,” they explained. “You do not get to tell me what my intentions are or paint me with a brush that I didn’t buy.”
