Sam Smith comes out as non-binary: "Maybe I'm not a man, maybe I'm not a woman, maybe I'm just me"
Singer-songwriter Sam Smith has come out as non-binary, and says he thinks like a woman sometimes. The English musician opened up to activist Jameela Jamil on her new Instagram TV series, "I Weigh."
In a conversation about body image and self-worth, Smith told Jamil he wants to help other people. "But I think you can only do that by helping yourself first," he said. Smith discussed his own struggles with weight and then opened up about gender.
"I've never spoken about this, and it's something that I'm not even sure of myself," Smith said. "But I was recently reading stories about people who came out as gender queer and non-binary, and I always had a bit of a war within my body and my mind about..."
"How you define yourself?" Jamil asked.
"Yes, because I do think like a woman sometimes in my head. And I've sometimes sat there and questioned, 'Do I want a sex change?' And it's something I still think about...but I don't think it is," Smith said.
Smith said that when he heard other people talking about being non-binary, he realized he identified with them. "I've always been free in terms of thinking about sexuality, and so I just tried to change that into my thoughts on gender as well," he said. "I am feminine in many, many ways and I've almost resented that." Smith said feeling this resentment contributed to his body image issues and his belief that he had to lose weight.
"Maybe I'm not a man, maybe I'm not a woman, maybe I'm just me," he said. "And that's okay."
The superstar said his weight has been the basis of "all of his sadness" – and dealing with body image issues was worse than coming out as gay.
On her Instagram, Jamil shared a clip of Smith's interview and called him "a total hero." Smith also shared the full interview on his Instagram.
"I know this sounds dramatic but this interview completely changed my life," Smith wrote. "Being able to talk so openly about my body issues and feeling so safe whilst doing it was truly liberating. I am so thankful to Jameela and her team for this opportunity and being so respectful and kind to me. It took a lot for me to do this and I was so nervous, so please be kind haha. I really hope this can make someone else who feels like me, a little less lonely and a little less alien."
Smith has received an outpouring of support from fans, who applauded him for opening up about personal issues. "God I love you never be ashamed of who u r. God created something amazing wen he made Sam smith," one person commented.
"Thank you for your honesty, your thoughts and feelings are so true to my inner dialogue, I feel strengthened by your words," another person wrote.
To end the interview, Smith left fans with a bit of wisdom about his own plan personal growth: "I think I am going to start to live very loudly. Whereas before I was afraid of who I would offend or if I would've upset myself or make mistakes," he said. "I am going to be myself to the end...hiding it is too exhausting."