In 2014, Sofia Coppola cast androgynous model Andreja Pejic in her upcoming film The Little Mermaid, prompting many people to wonder what exactly a "genderfluid" model was. Thanks to the rising profile of transgender celebrities like Laverne Cox and Janet Mock, Hollywood is finally getting interested in transgender issues. We know there are trans people out there who are talented, beautiful, and famous, but what about celebrities who are genderfluid or non-gender-conforming? Until mid-2014, Pejic identified her gender as non-binary, and didn't identify as either a man or a woman. Surprisingly, lots of other people – including famous and influential ones – identify the same way. Below is a list of 10 musicians, actors, writers, performers, and artists who identify as non-gender-conforming, genderfluid, genderqueer, agender, or non-binary – or something else in-between.
17 Celebrities Who Defy Gender Stereotypes,
Eddie Izzard
Eddie Izzard, who describes himself as a "transvestite" rather than transgender, often takes pains to distinguish between his feminine gender presentation and his sexuality, reminding audiences they should never assume, because a "man" is wearing lipstick, that that he's cisgendered and/or gay. Izzard uses male pronouns, and says he identifies as "a straight transvestite, or a male lesbian." On one occasion, he joked that he is "100% boy, plus extra girl."
Genesis P-Orridge
A founding member of the seminal industrial bands Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV, British musician and performance artist Genesis Breyer P-Orridge has appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records for most albums released in a single year, founded a tongue-in-cheek "cult" called Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth, and has been declared a "wrecker of civilization" by British Parliament.
For over 10 years, P-Orridge engaged in an ongoing body modification project with Their (now tragically deceased) partner, Lady Jaye Breyer, called the Pandrogyne Project, meant to challenge gender roles, conventional beauty standards, and ideas about romantic relationships through a series of identical plastic surgeries.
P-Orridge prefers the pronouns S/he, He/r, or Them.
JD Samson
A member of the lesbian synthpop groups Le Tigre and MEN, JD Samson was assigned female at birth and prefers female pronouns. A desire to let her inner dudeness shine through, however, led her to begin taking male hormones in the '90s, resulting in a more chiseled visage and a luxuriant growth of facial hair.
Samson has stated in interviews that she sees herself as "post-gender," and considers the male/female gender binary to be obsolete. Her personal trademarks are her roguishly bushy eyebrows and alluring, porn-chic mustache.
Kate Bornstein
Assigned male at birth, Kate Bornstein spent almost 40 years living as a man before discovering her true gender identity and physically transitioning in 1986. She's an author, performer, playwright, artist, and advocate for LGBTQ rights currently living in New York.
Though she prefers female pronouns, Bornstein said in her autobiography, A Queer and Pleasant Danger, "I don't call myself a woman, and I know I'm not a man." Her books Gender Outlaw and My Gender Workbook both define gender as a spectrum and explore the absurdities of traditional gender roles in society.
Miley Cyrus
Yes, believe it or not, part of "just being Miley" apparently includes being non-gender-conforming. In an interview with Paper Magazine, Cyrus said, "I don't relate to being a boy or a girl, and I don't have to have my partner relate to being a boy or a girl."
Though she still seems comfortable with she/her pronouns, Cyrus has been experimenting with gender ambiguous presentation for awhile now. She made headlines in June when she appeared at an amFAR event with agender model and poet Tyler Ford as her date, and used the event as an opportunity to raise awareness about non-binary gender identities.
Steven Tyler
Many have noted the head Aerosmith singer's androgynous appearance, but it turns out it goes beyond style alone. Per Tyler's memoir, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You, "I've been misquoted as saying that I'm more female than male. Let me set the record straight - it's more half and half."
Ruby Rose
Australian model and Orange Is the New Black star Ruby Rose talked about her gender fluidity in an interview with Elle. She said, "For the most part, I definitely don't identify as any gender. I'm not a guy; I don't really feel like a woman, but obviously I was born one. So, I'm somewhere in the middle, which – in my perfect imagination – is like having the best of both sexes."
In the interview, she praised Caitlyn Jenner for her public transition, along with the shows and media outlets that give a voice and a humanity to people who don't identify as gender normative.
Tyler Ford
Recently profiled by MTV's Diary, Tyler Ford describes themself as a "queer, agender person of color living in New York City." A former Glee Project contestant, and close friend and confidant of both Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus, Ford is also a poet, model, and regular contributor at Rookie Magazine.
Angel Haze
Rapper and occasional model Angel Haze identifies as agender, and told BuzzFeed in March 2015, "To be honest with you, I'm not really a girl....If anything I'm more on the guy end of the spectrum." In response to a Tweet from a fan in Febraury asking about preferred pronouns, Haze responded, "they/them. but I cant be arsed seriously."
Alok Vaid-Menon
Alok Vaid-Menon is a writer, performance artist, community organizer, and Stanford graduate based in New York City. They are the co-founder of the Dark Matter poetry and social activist collective, are affiliated with the Audre Lorde Project, and have worked with MTV and StyleLikeU.
"I want every person questioning their gender out there to know that you are enough," Vaid-Menon says. "There is no one way to be a boy, a girl, or even transgender - there are as many genders as there are people on this planet."