Janelle Monáe is feeling thankful.
It’s been nearly a year since the multi-hyphenate artist came out as nonbinary, and she is now reflecting on the positive response she has received.
“It’s been great,” the 37-year-old musician, actor and best-selling author told People in a story published Friday. “And I say that because I think that there are a lot more discussions, and that’s so important.”
Monáe, who uses both she/her and they/them pronouns, came out as pansexual — a term used to describe a person who experiences attraction without regard to sex, gender identity or gender expression — in a 2018 Rolling Stone cover story.
In April 2022 Monáe confirmed she was nonbinary in an interview on Jada Pinkett Smith’s talk show “Red Table Talk.”
“I just don’t see myself as a woman,” Monáe said at the time. “I feel like God is so much bigger than the ‘he’ or the ‘she.’ If I am from God, I am everything.”
Now, looking back at the past nine months, the Grammy-nominated musician says she is grateful for the dialogue she helped facilitate.
“I think that all of us want to walk in our truth. We’re just trying to find a name to put with how we feel. And I think that’s always great,” Monáe said.
“I try to challenge people to listen. Yeah, you may not necessarily understand. But listening is such a free thing we can do. I think that by listening you can give somebody more compassion, more empathy, and that’s just one more step (to) bridging that gap between us,” Monáe added.
The star of “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” said her gender identity has even helped her grow as an artist.
“Being no-binary has opened up my mind in terms of the type of art I can make and where I can go, who I can be. I’m all about surprising myself and discovering something new,” Monáe said.
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