Demi Lovato is further opening up about their gender identity ahead of their 29th birthday. While speaking at the 19th Represents Summit, the "Sorry Not Sorry" singer shared more about their journey of coming out as nonbinary and how their gender expression could change in the future.
"Being nonbinary, what that means ... is that I'm so much more than the binary of man and woman," they said during the summit, according to DailyMail. "And that we are all so much more if we allow ourselves the ability to look within ourselves and challenge that binary that we've grown up living in."
They also revealed the challenges they faced before coming out as nonbinary. "I was very nervous in the beginning to come out as nonbinary because I didn't want people to think it was inauthentic," they explained. "I just wanted people to see what coming out as nonbinary meant to my healing process."
Demi continued, expressing that their gender identity could change over time. 'There might be a time where I identify as trans...there might be a time where I identify as nonbinary and gender nonconforming my entire life. Or maybe there's a period of time when I get older that I identify as a woman. I have a feeling that it's not going to ever go back to one way or the other. But it's about keeping it open and free, and just I'm a very fluid person, and so that goes with how I express myself as well."
During the interview Demi reflected on the end of their engagement to Max Ehrich. and how the pair's split ultimately contributed to their coming out journey. "I was able to stand on my own two feet without needing someone else to validate me or to make me feel accepted," they explained. "And when I said goodbye to that relationship, I also said goodbye to everything that was holding me back from being my most authentic self."
They also shared that they had realized they were nonbinary before getting into the relationship with Ehrich, which caused them to "ignore" parts of themselves. When they called it quits in September, it helped Lovato to really find their true self. They explained, "I met someone and I got into this straight relationship, and that was great, but that led me to ignoring all the parts of myself that I didn't think were digestible for my partner at the time, who ended up becoming my fiancé."
Lovato and Ehrich dated for nearly seven months before going their separate ways.