July 14 was ‘International Non-Binary People’s Day’. So, let’s get celebrating our non-binary folk!
While there is still room for education and acceptance surrounding the non-binary experience, let’s take this time to give an elevated platform to those who are unapologetically and fabulously themselves.
Jonathan Van Ness
In a 2019 interview with Out, JVN came out as non-binary. They mainly use they/them pronouns, but have said that they accept all pronouns and use them interchangably.
‘The older I get, the more I think that I’m non-binary, I’m gender nonconforming’ they said. ‘Like, some days I feel like a man, but then other days I feel like a woman. I think my energies are really all over the place. Any opportunity I have to break down stereotypes of the binary, I am down for it.’
JVN is out-spoken and frequently joins in human rights, women’s rights and LGBTQ+ protests and marches.
In 2020, they openly endorsed Elizabeth Warren during her presidential campaign, stating that healthcare is a human right.
Mae Martin
Actor and comedian Mae Martin starred in the 2020 show Feel Good, about the difficulties surrounding gender, addiction and sexuality all sprinkled with comedy. The show was written by Martin and is semi-autobiographical.
A scene from the show, which saw Mae and their partner George discussing gender, went viral.
In 2021, Martin announced via Instagram that they themselves are non-binary.
They wrote, ‘I’m nonbinary, my pronouns are they/them and she/her (I love it when people say ‘they’ but I don’t mind ‘she’ at ALL).’
‘When that dysphoria hits it sucks, and I find wearing a binder… can sometimes help me feel more confident.’
Alok Vaid-Menon
Alok Vaid-Monon is a writer, artist and influencer who is openly gender non-conforming and uses they/them pronouns.
They have written books, performed art and made speeches all about gender, race, trauma and generally, the human condition.
In July 2021, they appeared on The Man Enough Podcast and said ‘I’m nonbinary, which means it’s not just that I’m challenging the binary between male, female, man and woman, but between us and them.’
Alok frequently reshapes the narrative and talks about gender in a way that has never been given a platform before. They discuss how they are trying to reframe conversations with cis people, to ask them how thye are trying to heal from how the gender binary has affected them, rather than the other way round.
‘I don’t think the majority of people are ready to heal, and that’s why they repress us as trans and gender-variant people, because they’ve done this violence to themselves first. They’ve repressed their own femininity. They’ve repressed their own gender nonconformity.’
Sara Ramirez
This Grey’s Anatomy star took to Instagram in 2020 announcing ‘In me is the capacity to be Girlish boy Boyish girl Boyish boy Girlish girl All Neither #nonbinary.’
In 2016, Ramirez labelled themselves as queer and bisexual.
From 2006 to 2016, Ramirez played Calliope Torres, the longest-running LGBTQ+ character in TV history.
In 2021, Ramirez was cast in the revival series of Sex and the City, called And Just Like That…. They played a non-binary comedian and podcast host, Che Diaz, which has garnered mixed reviews from audiences.