After a bit of a difficult start in 2020, musician and actor Janelle Monáe has officially came out as non-binary. The performer shared the piece of information in an appearance on Red Table Talk with Jaida Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield Norris.
“I’m nonbinary, so I just don’t see myself as a woman, solely,” they said. “I feel all of my energy. I feel like god is so much bigger than the ‘he’ or the ‘she.’ And if I am from God, I am everything. I am everything. But I will always, always stand with women. I will always stand with Black women. But I just see everything I am. Beyond the binary.”
The episode was season five’s premiere of the show. Where Monáe was brought on to the show on the request of Willow.
Monáe had previously come out as pansexual in 2018. But now Janelle has finally came out as non binary.
In the episode, they also spoke openly about that aspect of their life in public.
“When I see people, I see your energy first, I don’t see how you identify,” they said. “I feel like that opens you up to fall in love with any beautiful spirit, you know.” Monáe went on to say they had waited until they had worked everything out internally, and discussed it with their family before opening up to the world.
In June 2020, Monáe tweeted the hashtag #IAmNonbinary. Some thought that was a coming out. They later clarified in a profile that they tweeted it “in support of Nonbinary Day and to bring more awareness to the community.” At the time, they said they resonated with the meme of Steven Universe’s Stevonnie being asked “Are you a boy or a girl?”
Monáe has not clarified their pronouns yet.
In the Red Table Talk, Monáe explained the conversations they had with their family. Their mom had questions and their grandmother was “super religious.”
“My whole family is church … church, church,” they explained. “So I was just like ‘what does it mean to go against your whole family on this thing?’ But I was ready! I was like: if they don’t love me, don’t call me asking for no money. You will not get my LGBTQIA+ money. How about that?”
In the interview, the superstar also acknowledged having been in both monogamous and polyamorous relationships previously.
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