Janelle Monáe comes out as non-binary
The actor and Dirty Computer singer talked about their gender identity on Red Table Talk
Aux News Janelle
Singer and actor Janelle Monáe has publicly come out as non-binary during a discussion on Jada Pinkett Smith’s show Red Table Talk.
“I’m non-binary, so I just don’t see myself as a woman solely,” they told the Red Table Talk women. “I feel all of my energy. I feel like God is so much bigger than the ‘he’ or the ‘she.’ And if I am from God, I am everything.”
Back in 2020, the singer tweeted using the hashtag #IAmNonbinary, spurring conversation around the artist’s gender identity. However, they later stated the tweet came from “support of Non-Binary Day and to bring more awareness to the community.” Now, Monáe reflects on this moment and how they simply weren’t ready to share this information with the world yet.
“Somebody said, ‘If you don’t work out the things that you need to work out first before you share with the world, then you’ll be working it out with the world,’” Monáe says. “That’s what I didn’t want to do. So I thought I needed to have all my answers correct, I don’t want to say the wrong thing.”
“And also I hadn’t had the necessary conversations with my family,” they continue. “I wasn’t ready to have my family question my personal life or get calls from people who still look at me as Little Pumpkin—that’s what they call me back home. […] I needed to talk to my dad who was just great. My sister knew already because I’ve been in monogamous relationships, I’ve been in polyamorous relationships. But I knew that I couldn’t be Little Pumpkin. I couldn’t be little Janelle.”
Monáe officially came out as pansexual in 2018, and during a recent interview with the LA Times, they said their pronouns are they/them and she/her.
Monáe’s musical work very much emphasizes the non-binary through an afro-futuristic, Metropolis-inspired lens. Their music’s primarily about cultivating a life outside of heteronormativity, cis-ness, whiteness, and standing firm in who you are. Works like Dirty Computer remain pivotal in this writer’s own understanding of her sexuality and gender, and it’s stellar to see them so thoughtfully express this aspect of their identity. Kudos to Janelle!
73 Comments
Man my friend told me this earlier and I could have SWORN this already happened like a year or two ago :S idk if I got them confused with someone else or I got them coming out as pan confused with coming out as non-binary, or what lmao but it was a weird Berenstain/Berenstein bears kinda moment
FWIW I was under the same impression (or assumption?) but I don’t actively follow them so I have no idea where I got that from.
well she tweeted it in 2020 like the article says so maybe you’re thinking of that?
Sigh. They. This article is literally about them being a they.
Monáe officially came out as pansexual in 2018, and during a recent interview with the LA Times, they said their pronouns are they/them and she/her. While it is useful to point out when people are just defaulting to She, it is still important to note they use both pronouns.
Eminently fair.
Monáe officially came out as pansexual in 2018, and during a recent interview with the LA Times, they said their pronouns are they/them and she/her.
EDIT: Oh ffs, I literally refreshed the page to check no-one had posted this already.
You expect me to read the full article before lecturing someone on what it’s about? Have you been on this website?
Not at all! I, myself, only happened to see the relevant quote as I scrolled past on my way to the comments.
Just remember: We can’t divorce gender conversations from internet toxicity if we’re using these sorts of announcements to scold each other. This should be a celebration, not a reason to get out the knives out.
during a recent interview with the LA Times, they said their pronouns are they/them and she/her.
Actually the article explicitly says they use both they/them and she/her.
They haven’t said what pronouns they prefer yet. Some non-binary people use a mix, so we don’t know yet if any of the options would be offensive to Monae.
Whoops, didn’t read closely enough. But sounds like she uses she/they.
Ohh yeah that’s probably it, maybe I missed the part where they kinda walked it back
Kinda of felt like old news since we’ve moved on to others like Elliot Page, Jonathan Van Ness, Rhoyle Ivy and others.
Yup, same, I was like “cool, but I swear I saw them come out a while ago.” Nice to see it discussed now, though!
Janelle Mo-they
Mo-HEY NOW!
LGBTQ no longer defines sexuality. It’s a political statement. It’s fashion. It’s an anti-establishment badge of honor. It’s 2022’s version of punk rock. You’re not God. Fuck off.
I wish there were no gendered pronouns.
You could always learn Hungarian, Estonian or Finnish. Gendered pronouns are a very important part of some languages.
“So I thought I needed to have all my answers correct, I don’t want to say the wrong thing.”Not with Will in the next room, ready to pounce.
Has Monae actually expressed a preference for they/them or is that the assumed default for someone who IDs as non-binary? Not trying to be a knucklehead about it or anything, I just don’t know.
It’s mentioned in the linked LA Times article near the bottom. But it’s a good point for people to keep in mind that not every enby uses they/them.
Ah, right there. I should read instead of skim.
Nah, if you don’t read it’s easier to ignore the poor hacky writing.
But then I’m less credible when I heckle it.
What is this “credibility’ you speak of?
Of which I speak.
“I feel all of my energy. I feel like God is so much bigger than the ‘he’ or the ‘she.’ And if I am from God, I am everything.”
This sounds crazy, not non-binary.
When you feel ignored, change your gender.
“‘I’m non-binary, so I just don’t see myself as a woman solely,’ they told the Red Table Talk women. ‘I feel all of my energy. I feel like God is so much bigger than the ‘he’ or the ‘she.’ And if I am from God, I am everything.’”I’d say the bigger headline is that Monae apparently thinks they’re God.
I feel like they have a good argument for it.
Everyone should consider themselves their own G/god. It’s much more useful than the current constructs we have in society.
I don’t want to be anyone’s Ggo_d. Even my own.
It’s not for everyone.
Hail Satan.
Starred because I hope you’re referring to TST and their political presence.
Yes. Hail yourself.
I think you’re ignoring a pretty important word in that quote. If I say “I am from Oklahoma,” I’m not saying I’m the entire state…
Holy shit – Oklahoma? Gosh, it’s such an honour to meet you!
What part of your soul or mind do you consider to be the panhandle?
They didn’t say they ARE God. They said they’re FROM God. It’s a generic “We’re all made in God’s image” statement.
Yeah, this is a bit weird. Are they saying that everyone would be nonbinary if only they “felt all of their energy”?
Not they are God, they’re from God. It’s a very, very widespread belief in Abrahamic religions that humans are made by God in God’s image, i.e. from God. It’s a very ungenerous reading to think Monae’s off the deep end saying she’s God, instead of rephrasing what your average Christian believes.
I don’t think it’s an ungenerous reading. The quote is weird and offers an entirely unhelpful lens on gender identity issues. It’s possibly true that lots of Christians think this way, but it doesn’t suddenly become sensible or useful when pressed into service in support of causes I’m sympathetic to.
Hey now, let’s not just ignore prepositions.
I believe that I am a deity! I get so offended when no one bows to me.
Well, pretty sure God’s non-binary, so there you go.
Right now, there’s a lot of homophobes feeling a lot of emotions about wanting to have sex with a non-binary person.
Doubtful. Most of the people you are talking about assume non-binary people are women, regardless of how they identify or what they were assigned at birth.
You mean men, just say it, like why dance around it. Say what you feel, stop being vague.
Duh.
Is that your preferred pronoun?
Good for her.
🤔
Like most people, I have no idea who she is and dont care to know. She is smart enough to realize that if she jumps on the nonbinary bandwagon she will get tons of clickbait articles written about her .At some point avclub is going to realize that claiming to be nonbinary does not make for interesting articles. Even the most liberal of liberals doesnt care about her or anyone else claiming to be nonbinary, and the republicans actively despise it (a good reason to continue maybe?). Its just not interesting though, and its really obvious that people are just claiming it to get their names circulating.
I’m generally of the opion that Janelle Monáe can do whatever the fuck Janelle Monáe wants to do, and I will be on board for it.
I’d like for the Smith family to go the hell away.
Whatever make them/her happy.
I don’t think they really “came out” so much as “reaffirmed something that was pretty much there from the start”.
Certainly it pre-dates a tweet from 2020. Janelle has always had themes of fluidity and beyond-binary-ness, right from the first album.
I don’t mean this in some “Come on, isn’t it obvious?” way that relies on stereotypes, I mean it quite specifically in the sense that the only reason they didn’t declare it in such, pardon me, black-and-white terms prior to now is that it didn’t seem necessary. I also don’t mean to suggest I’m jumping on the “this isn’t really news” train, because hey, the more we talk about this stuff the better, but I am saying you don’t have to have been paying particularly close attention to have known that Janelle Monae is non-binary prior to this latest TV show.
I WOULD AGREE. I AM NOT MOCKING HER DECISION TO BE FORTHRIGHT, BUT THIS IS VERY MUCH A “NEWS THAT IS NOT REALLY NEWS” STORY.
Anyone ever tell you you sound like Christopher Lee?
I think this particular issue is well past the point of “ the more we talk about this stuff the better.”
Demi Lovato walked so Janelle Monae could run
“their”
Dear Janelle,The only news that i really care to hear from you is that you released an album that surpasses ArchAndroid.
Why, I see your pansexual and raise you a non-binary. I say to you, Good Day Sir!
“I feel all of my energy. I feel like God is so much bigger than the ‘he’ or the ‘she.’ And if I am from God, I am everything.” This tracks with most of what we’ve seen come out of Red Table Talk and the supremely narcissistic Jada Pinkett Smith.
add me to the list of people who already thought they declared their bi-ness years ago. Weren’t they dating Tessa Thompson? Anyway, I heard they had dirty songs, but was disappointed to find they were merely naughty. Betty Davis was doing real raunch back in the 70’s.
Non-binary in addition to being bisexual. Not the same thing.
Let’s not forget pansexual! It’s starting to sound like a dessert menu.