Demi Lovato. (Getty for iHeartMedia/ Emma McIntyre)
During Non-Binary Awareness Week, Demi Lovato explained to their fans that it’s OK if they accidentally misgender them sometimes, as long as they “keep trying”.
Lovato shared a text post to Instagram on Tuesday (13 July), which read: “If you misgender me – that’s okay. I accidentally misgender myself sometimes!
“It’s a huge transition to change the pronouns I’ve used for myself my entire life. And it’s difficult to remember sometimes!
“As long as you keep trying to respect my truth, and as long as I remember my truth, the shift will come naturally.
“I’m just grateful for your effort in trying to remember what means so much to my healing process.”
In the caption of the post they said that they had decided to post because although “change in pronouns can be confusing for some, and difficult to remember for others”, the most important aspect was “your intention”.
They added: “It’s important to me that you try, but if you make a mistake, it’s OK. Remember that I love you, and to keep going.”
Demi Lovato came out as non-binary this year
Demi Lovato came out as non-binary in May, 2021, on the first episode of their podcast 4D With Demi Lovato, and explained that their pronouns are they/them.
During the episode, they spoke with gender non-conforming author and artist Alok Vaid-Menon, discussing pronouns and how vital they are.
They reiterated that it’s OK for people to slip up from time to time.
“It would mean the world to me if people could start identifying me as they/ them,” Lovato said at the time.
“I will also be accepting if people slip and say ‘her/ she’ because I know that, being in my position, it’s going to take a while for people to get used to.
“I just want them to be making the effort. I think it’s important because I want to use these pronouns that feel right to me – I also just don’t want people to be so afraid of messing up that they don’t try to use them.”