Sam Smith Recalls Being 'Spat At' During Transphobic Attack After Coming Out As Non-Binary

Multi-Grammy award-winning artist Sam Smith has revealed that they were "spat at" after announcing their non-binary status. The artist, who is known for their soulful songs, came out as non-binary in 2019 after what they described as a "lifetime of being at war" with their gender identity.

The "Stay With Me" singer's announcement brought on no small amount of public backlash. In the ensuing months, Smith revealed that although they acknowledged that coming out as "they/them" was a positive step toward accepting themselves, it had been a struggle due to the massive number of unsupportive people.

Reflecting on the period recently, Smith revealed that an unidentified person "spat at" them on the street following their reveal. 

Keep on reading to learn more.

Talking to Apple Music's Zane Lowe on Thursday, Smith revealed that although there were no issues concerning their new gender identity in their personal life, it was another matter in public. They revealed that they were harassed and "spat at" on the streets of England.

"I think all the only negatives in the struggle have been in my public life and my job. And just the amount of hate and sh**ness that came my way was just exhausting," they said.

"It was in the f**king news," Smith continued. "Someone spat at me in the street. It's crazy. What I find hard about it is it's like, if that's happening to me and I'm famous, I'm a pop star, can you imagine what other kids, like queer kids, are feeling?"

Smith disclosed that since coming out, their relationship with family was much better, and they were able to communicate with them seamlessly. The artist also spoke about their love life, revealing they felt "lovable" and "comfortable in my skin."

They continued, "Since changing my pronouns, it felt like a coming home. I wish I knew what the words were when I was in school because I would've identified as that in school. Because it is who I am, and it's who I've always been."

Smith also admitted that they felt like the US allowed them to dress and express themselves better than in England. They recalled a trip to the White House last month where "the gays and the queers" were present for the Marriage Act signing ceremony of President Biden.

"It's a wild feeling," they said. "Having Biden stand up and say all these things. Talking about trans people and how he sees them, he sees us; I haven't heard that in my own country from politicians."

Earlier this month, Smith sat down with Rolling Stone and talked about their early days in the music industry. According to the artist, they had attempted to fit in with everyone else, but as time went on, the effort proved too much. Smith's debut album, "In the Lonely Hour," was released in 2014, and they have gone on to release three more.

The artist said, "In the time that people have known me — from In the Lonely Hour, at the age of 22 — was a time when I didn't want to dress up as much; it was a time when I wanted to take a break and fit in." Smith eventually got fed up with trying so hard and wanted to "go back to how I was when I was younger."

During the interview, the "Writings On The Wall" singer also said that they initially faced issues trying to express their happiness and sex through their music. "I ran into this world, and it was not the world I thought it was. I was afraid to express certain things… my sex in the music, my happiness within the music," they said.

The artist continued, "Those themes were sometimes incredibly private, and I felt more comfortable showing other sides of me; I wasn't feeling repressed, but I was definitely feeling like I needed to break out, for sure, towards the end."

Smith's fourth studio album, "Gloria," has 13 tracks and was produced by Capitol Records. It is Smith's first since their 2020 album "Love Goes." The album was reportedly named "Gloria" due to the number of female features on the tracks. These include Jessie Rayes, Koffee, and Kim Petras. Smith also has a song with Ed Sheeran.

Prior to the release, the artist and Petra made history as the first nonbinary and transgender artists to stay on top of the charts with their song "Unholy." The song was released in late 2022 as a prelude to the album and became massively popular on social media.

"Unholy" also earned the artist and Petras a Grammy nomination for best pop duo/group performance. According to reports, the song would have been nominated for the record and song of the year; however, it was released too late. "Unholy" hit music platforms just eight days before the end of the eligibility period, September 30, 2022, making it late for Grammy voters to register it fully.