Demi Lovato comes out as non-binary and announces they’re changing pronouns to they/them

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Demi Lovato has come out as non-binary.

The singer, 28, shared the news with their fans in a video posted to Twitter on Wednesday, adding that they will be changing pronouns to they/them. 

Demi, who identifies as pansexual, added that they don’t want to be seen as an ‘expert or spokesperson,’ and has ‘opened up another level of vulnerability’ by sharing the news with their fans.

Demi shared the clip revealing their new identification with fans alongside a lengthy Twitter thread, as part of the first episode of their podcast series 4D with Demi Lovato.

In the video they said: ‘I want to take this moment to share something very personal with you. 

‘Over the past year-and-a-half I’ve been doing some healing and self-reflective work, and through this work I’ve had the revelation that I identify as non-binary.

‘With that said, I’ll be officially changing my pronouns to they/them. I feel that 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 still am discovering.’ 

‘I want to make it clear I’m still learning and coming into myself – I don’t claim to be an expert or a spokesperson.’

Demi went onto urged fans to ‘keep living in your truths,’ and sent ‘so much love’ to those who are still struggling to come to terms with their identity.

In a Twitter thread the star added: ‘Every day we wake up, we are given another opportunity & chance to be who we want and wish to be. 

‘I’ve spent the majority of my life growing in front of all of you… you’ve seen the good, the bad, & everything in between.

‘Not only has my life been a journey for myself, I was also living for those on the other side of the cameras.

‘Today is a day I’m so happy to share more of my life with you all- I am proud to let you know that I identify as non-binary & will officially be changing my pronouns to they/them moving forward 

‘This has come after a lot of healing & self-reflective work. I’m still learning & coming into myself, & I don’t claim to be an expert or a spokesperson. Sharing this with you now opens another level of vulnerability for me.

‘I’m doing this for those out there that haven’t been able to share who they truly are with their loved ones. Please keep living in your truths & know I am sending so much love your way xox (sic).’ 

In March Demi revealed that they now identify as pansexual, and wouldn’t rule out the prospect of adopting children in the future.

Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, she explained: ‘In this moment I want to adopt [children] for sure. I also don’t know if I’m going to end up with a guy, so I can’t really see myself even getting pregnant.’

She continued: ‘I don’t know. I’m so fluid now, and a part of the reason why I am so fluid is because I was super closeted off.’

To clarify Joe asked Demi to elaborate on her sexual fluidity and whether that means they are pansexual – meaning she is attracted to a person regardless of sexual or gender identity.  

‘What do they call that? ‘Pansexual’?’ Rogan asked. ‘Yeah, pansexual,’ Demi said, quipping: ‘[I like] anything, really.’ 

Over the years Demi has had well publicized relationships with men like their longtime on and off again boyfriend Wilmer Valderamma and, more recently, their failed engagement to Max Ehrich. 

‘I was engaged to a man last year. I totally thought I’d be married, maybe pregnant right now, and that’s not the case, so I’ve just stopped kind of attaching myself to — I know that my life is not going according to my plan,’ their told Rogan.

Demi also previously insisted that they are ‘too gay to marry a man right now’ and was ‘hella queer’ after calling off her relationship with Ehrich. 

It comes after Demi stated they are ‘very fluid’ in their sexuality in a Facebook special for National Coming Out Day in October, and shed light on the moment it dawned on them that they were attracted to women.

While compering the special with Tan France Demi revealed that they came to the realization when they saw Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair kiss onscreen.

Selma and Sarah Michelle locked lips in the 1999 teen drama Cruel Intentions which also starred future spouses Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe.

Sarah Michelle teaches Selma how to kiss while they have a picnic, assuring her: ‘How else do you think girls learn?’

After they lightly kiss once Sarah Michelle says: ‘Okay let’s try it again, only this time I’m gonna stick my tongue in your mouth and when I do that I want you to massage my tongue with yours, and that’s what first base is.’

Selma cheerfully agrees and closes her eyes for a much longer lip-lock, which won them an MTV Movie Award for best kiss.  

‘So it was definitely when I was young and should not have been watching Cruel Intentions but I did,’ Demi told Tan on the special.

‘And it was that scene where they made out on the park lawn and I was just like: ‘Oh, wait a minute, I really like that!’ they said, giggling. ‘I was like: ‘I wanna try it!’

The singing sensation added: ‘And then when I was like 17 I did get down with that and that’s when I knew. That’s the tea!’

At that point Demi had already become a child star on the Disney Channel, which meant that after coming out in their personal life they had to do so to the world.

‘I pretty much told all of my friends and my older sister when I was 17. They all knew before, you know, I brought it to my parents and then the public. And that, those were my three phases – friends, parents, public,’ said Demi.

‘There were times when I wrote songs about girls that my fans thought I wrote about guys. I’m surprised that some of them didn’t figure out that some of the songs were for certain people. I was sharing it with the world and yet I wasn’t being completely obvious with what I was talking about. Music was my safe space,’ they dished.

Demi, who broke their engagement with Max Ehrich in September, shared the heartwarming story of when they told their mother Dianna about her sexuality.

They recalled that ‘I was about to go on a date with a girl and if my mom saw I just wanted to like call her and be like: ‘Hey, Mom, just so you know, I’m about to go out with a girl and I just need you to know what’s up.”

The Albuquerque-born singer shared that ‘we never talked about it and so then I kind of internalized that and added shame onto not just outright telling her, and I held onto that for years. And so for me it was a very emotional phone call.’

However: ‘For her she was just like: ‘Honey, I want you to be happy, and if that’s what a man, if that’s with a woman, I don’t – whatever. I just want you to be happy.’

Demi noted: ‘And so that was a beautiful phone call for me and I’m very fortunate that I got to have that experience ’cause I know that a lot of people don’t, but you know, it’s something that I think we’re progressing with in time, where like more and more people are getting to have that experience as well.’

Before coming out to their fans Demi had a high-profile six-year romance with Wilmer Valderrama with whom they are still friends.

In public they kept mum about their sexuality prior to 2017 when they starred in the documentary Simply Complicated and said they were willing to date women.

The following year they told InStyle: ‘I’m very fluid, and I think love is love. You can find it in any gender. I like the freedom of being able to flirt with whoever I want. 

Meanwhile a few months ago Sarah Michelle visited Selma for her birthday this June and reprised their Cruel Intentions kiss for Instagram.

Mindful of the coronavirus, Sarah Michelle wore a mask with rhinestone lips on it and kept it on allowing Selma to kiss the face covering.

It came after Demi posed up a storm with a hose on Instagram while hunkering down at home amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

They could be spotted modeling a summery green, purple, yellow and crimson wrap dress, cinching it around her waist with a wide belt.

Sweeping her hair up into a bun, they wore a slick of red lipstick to complement her outfit and added a touch of dazzle with hoop earrings.