Demi Lovato Comes Out as Non-Binary

In one their first interviews after coming out as non-binary, Demi Lovato and Jane Fonda engaged in a personal conversation ranging from the joy of activism to the power of social media.

In response to their recent coming out and their gender journey, Demi shared:

“After years of living my life for other people, trying to make myself smaller for the patriarchy — they run the industry, they are at the center of everything. When I realized that, I thought, ‘what are the ways that the patriarchy has been holding me back?’ and for me, it was putting me in a box telling [me] that ‘you are a female, this is what you’re supposed to like, this is what you’re supposed to do, don’t dream bigger and don’t speak louder.’ That didn’t vibe for me because I’m too outspoken for that.”

When asked about their thoughts on how the climate crisis impacted Texas back in February, Demi said:

“I still have so much family there, and watching my family struggling, being so many hours away and not knowing what I could do, I felt so helpless. At one point, my dad fell and hit his head, and that’s scary. When people are stranded in a snowstorm, and you can’t get to your basic needs, I was really worried. But, I think it was a good wake-up call for everyone in the South, ‘hey, you’re not invisible, just because you’re in the South doesn’t mean you can’t get a snowstorm, and especially when things are so upside down with our climate.’ This is going to happen, and it’s going to get worse if we don’t change things.”

In regards to the role artists play in healing political divide, the global superstar said:

“I think all I can encourage people to do is to find more compassion and to have more empathy for others. If you’re having a hard time finding that towards others, go within yourself, find it within yourself so you can find it for others because that’s what will bring us together is that unity. Remembering that even though we are individuals, we are one, and when we start excluding people, that’s when things get really hateful and dangerous.”