Demi Uses She/Her Pronouns Because She Was “Tired” Of Explaining They/Them
"I constantly had to educate people."
When Demi Lovato came out as nonbinary in 2021, she announced that she exclusively identified with they/them pronouns. It’s totally normal for gender identities to evolve over time, and in 2022, Lovato re-adopted she/her pronouns in addition to still identifying with they/them. Their Instagram bio currently reads: “they/them/she/her.” Now, Lovato is opening up about what went into that decision, revealing that it actually had more to do with other people and her own exhaustion with having to continuously teach others to respect someone’s gender identity.
Lovato explained their pronoun evolution in a June 13 GQ Spain profile, stating that she began to identify with she/her pronouns again after being worn down by people misunderstanding and misgendering them. “I constantly had to educate people and explain why I identified with those pronouns. It was absolutely exhausting,” Lovato said, per People’s translation of the interview. “I just got tired. But for that very reason I know that it is important to continue spreading the word.”
The singer first publicly adopted they/them pronouns in 2021. “I identify as non-binary and will officially be changing my pronouns to they/them moving forward,” Lovato wrote in an Instagram post at the time. A year later, Lovato added she/her to their pronouns. “I’ve been feeling more feminine, and so I’ve adopted she/her again,” she announced in an August 2022 interview.
After explaining her pronouns yet again in the GQ Spain interview, Lovato went on to detail the constant gender dysphoria that they deal with as a nonbinary person living in a binary world. “I face this every day. For example, in public toilets. Having to access the women's bathroom, even though I don't completely identify with it,” Lovato said.
“Or it also happens when filling out forms, such as government documents or any other where you have to specify your gender,” she continued. “You only have two options, male and female, and I feel like none of that makes sense to me. I see myself conditioned to choose a woman because there are no more. I think this has to change. Hopefully with time there will be more options.”
