This week, people all over the world have been celebrating Non-Binary Awareness Week. In the days leading up to and following International Non-Binary People’s Day on Wednesday, July 14, the struggles, accomplishments and existence of those who identify as gender non-binary—i.e. folks who don’t identify as male or female, whose gender identity and expression are more complicated or fluid—have been at the forefront of many of our minds.
For many, it’s been a chance to learn more about a gender identity with which they may have been less familiar. Celebs like Emma Corrin and Drag Race UK contestant Bimini Bon Boulash shared social media posts clarifying the term for the uninitiated: “Non-binary refers to a range of gender identities that aren’t man or woman (i.e. the binary genders). There’s no singular way to identify with the label or its meaning—some non-binary people identify more closely with masculinity or femininity, with both or with neither.” For others, it’s been a chance to celebrate their own identity, and advocate for legal recognition.
But celebrating non-binary gender and gender fluidity shouldn’t just be isolated to a single week. As we come to the end of Non-Binary Awareness Week, we’re highlighting some fabulous non-binary celebs and influencers that you should follow all year round.
Demi Lovato
In May, the “Cool for the Summer” singer kicked off their new podcast, “4D with Demi Lovato,” by coming out as non-binary and revealing that they now use “they/them” pronouns. “There’s nothing more freeing, for me, than to be unattached to a role that society wants me to play,” they said at the time. “I fully believe that gender is just another boundary that separates humanity from divine wisdom.”
Alok Vaid-Menon
For their coming-out episode, Lovato invited their friend Alok Vaid-Menon, who also identifies as non-binary, to discuss gender. Vaid-Menon is a writer and performance artist in their own right, and the influencer behind the hashtag #DeGenderFashion, a campaign to break down the gender binary within the fashion industry. And if Vaid-Menon’s own personal style is any indication, a non-binary fashion future is going to be indisputably fabulous!
Jamie Windust
Author, model and speaker Jamie Windust’s 2020 memoir In Their Shoes has been called “magical, beautiful, heartbreaking and often hilarious.” Their emotionally raw January 2020 TED Talk about the urgent need to support trans rights in the UK has been viewed over 8,000 times, and they have hosted a series of revealing, delightful chats with queer and non-binary folks on Jameela Jamil’s YouTube channel. And if that weren’t enough, their Insta is a fantasia of technicolor looks and eye-popping make-up!
Rain Dove
“I am I. No labels No limits,” reads model and self-described “gender capitalist” Rain Dove’s Instagram bio. Their work as a model is all about subverting gender categories in fashion. They frequently post side-by-side photos comparing traditionally feminine and masculine attire and questioning those labels and the ways that men and women are depicted differently in advertising. Every post aims to provoke thought and start a conversation about gender.
