“I just don’t see myself as a woman, solely. I feel all of my energy.”
Janelle Monáe came out as non-binary during the latest episode of Red Table Talk with Jaida Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris.
“I feel like God is so much bigger than the ‘he’ or the ‘she.’ And if I am from God, I am everything,” Monáe said on the Facebook Watch show.
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The multi-hyphenated star previously came out as pansexual on the cover of Rolling Stone. Before that, they had publicly come out as bisexual.
“Being a queer black woman in America, someone who has been in relationships with both men and women, I consider myself to be a free-ass motherf*cker,” they told the magazine. They came to realize they identified as pansexual after learning more about each sexuality.
“And was like, ‘Oh, these are things that I identify with too.’ I’m open to learning more about who I am.”
Back in 2020, fans speculated that Monáe came out as non-binary after they tweeted the hashtag #IAmNonbinary. However, in an interview with The Cut, the “Make Me Feel” singer clarified that this wasn’t a coming-out post. They were sharing support for the community.
“I tweeted the #IAmNonbinary hashtag in support of Non-Binary Day and to bring more awareness to the community,” Monáe said. “I retweeted the Steven Universe meme ‘Are you a boy or a girl? I’m an experience’ because it resonated with me, especially as someone who has pushed boundaries of gender since the beginning of my career. I feel my feminine energy, my masculine energy, and energy I can’t even explain.”
Coming Out As Non-Binary
On Red Table Talk, Monáe opened up as to why now is the right time to come out.
“Somebody said, ‘If you don’t work out the things that you need to work out first before you share with the world, then you’ll be working it out with the world,'” they said. “That’s what I didn’t want to do. So I thought I needed to have all my answers correct, I don’t want to say the wrong thing.”
“I am everything. But I will always, always stand with women. I will always stand with Black women. But I just see everything that I am. Beyond the binary.”
Monáe also shared their experience as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community with a “super conservative Baptist” background.
“My whole family is church … church, church,” they said. “So I was just like ‘what does it mean to go against your whole family on this thing?’ But I was ready! I was like: if they don’t love me, don’t call me asking for no money. You will not get my LGBTQIA+ money. How about that?”
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The star revealed they have spoken to their family and the responses were very positive.
“I needed to talk to my dad who was just great. My sister knew already because I’ve been in monogamous relationships, I’ve been in polyamorous relationships,” they explained. “But I knew that I couldn’t be Little Pumpkin. I couldn’t be little Janelle.”
Omg I was summoned to the table ????????❤️????❤️???? and it was amazing!
I love you @OfficialWillow (my hero) @jadapsmith, and @GammyNorris_ ????Thank you for having me and my momma ❤️????❤️????❤️????❤️????Watch the full episode now ➡️ https://t.co/rOHImTeyZD pic.twitter.com/3syljPxJiu
— Janelle Monáe, Cindi Mayweather???????????????????? (@JanelleMonae) April 20, 2022
Watch Monáe’s full appearance on Red Table Talk here.
