In recent years, an increasing number of stars have spoken out about their gender identity and sexuality and are now proud members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Janelle Monáe, an American rapper and singer who has gotten eight Grammy award nominations since breaking into the music industry, is the newest addition to the community’s growing roster of celebrities.
Monae recently verified their gender status as Non-Binary in a recent appearance on Jada Pinkett Smith’s “Red Table Talk,” and discussed what it takes to accept their identity and come out of the closet.
Read below for more details on the interview.
‘I’m Non-binary’ And ‘I Feel All Of My Energy’
While Monae has previously stated that they did not view themselves in the traditional sense, the actress had never acknowledged their gender status as “Non-binary” publicly, instead opting to promote the LGTBQ+ community through tweets and public statements.
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All of that changed recently when the 36-year-old revealed to Smith that their gender identification was non-binary, confirming previous rumors that implied the rapper was more than just a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I’m non-binary,” Monáe, 36, said on the “Red Table Talk” to her hosts. “So, I just don’t see myself as a woman or — solely. You know, I feel all of my energy.”
However, the actress stated that their gender status does not stop them from supporting women in their fight against societal issues that plague their womanhood.
Monáe added: “I will always stand with women. I will always stand with Black women, but I just see everything that I am beyond the binary.”
Janelle Monae Said They See “People’s Energy”
After making their not-so-surprising epiphany, Monae went on to remark that they viewed others differently than they would see themselves, in this case perceiving “people’s energy” rather than how they identify themselves.
“And I feel like that opens you up to fall in love with any beautiful spirit,” the rapper alluded.
According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, Non-binary persons do not identify as male or female but choose to embrace all forms of gender identity at the same time or at their own discretion. The rapper, on the other hand, sought to explain the significance of her new position by drawing a strange parallel between herself and God.
“I feel like God is so much bigger than the ‘he’ or the ‘she,'” Monáe highlighted, adding, “if I am from God, I am everything.”
Monae Addressed Her Sexuality Issues Personally Before Her Public Reveal
Pinkett cohosted the show with her friend Adrienne Banfield-Norris and her daughter Willow Smith. The latter later asked Monae what prompted their decision to come out of the closest, and the rapper was only willing to oblige the inquiry.
“If you don’t work out the things that you need to work out first with the world, then you’ll be working it out with the world,” Monáe said, alluding that they were able to come out publicly having first addressed their sexuality personally.
“And that’s what I didn’t want to do, so I thought I needed to have all my answers correct,” she added.
Janelle Monae Said She Is ‘Now I’m Owning All Of” Their Persona
As part of their revelation on the “Red Table Talk,” Monae disclosed that they took the bull by the horn, noting that they did not have the necessary conversations with their family before they came out to the public. The rapper asserted that they were done playing a bit-part version of themselves and has now chosen to revere in all of their personas.
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“I knew I couldn’t be little pumpkin,” Monáe said, referring to their childhood alias. “I know who I am. I’ve been playing a version of some parts of me, but now I’m owning all of me.”
Months before their appearance on the show, the songstress announced the debut of their new book, The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories From Dirty Computer. Monáe and a group of “talented female and non-binary authors” collaborated on the short fiction collection, which was inspired by their breakout album Dirty Computer’s “Afrofuturistic” theme.
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