Sam Smith: From he/him to they/them

Sam Smith: Neither male nor female (Variety)

In an emotional Twitter thread and Instagram post, singer-songwriter Sam Smith announced Friday that he prefers to be addressed with the gender pronouns they or them.

“After a lifetime of being at war with my gender I’ve decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out,” Smith, who came out as non-binary in March, posted on his accounts which have more than eight million followers.

“I’m so excited and privileged to be surrounded by people that support me in this decision but I’ve been very nervous about announcing this because I care too much about what people think but f*** it,” Smith continued.

Smith previously said he/they would continue to use he/him pronouns.

“Maybe I’m not a man, maybe I’m not a woman, maybe I’m just me,” he said at the time. “And that’s okay.”

Now, Smith said he/they can only hope that people try not to misgender him/them.

“I hope you can see me like I see myself now,” they wrote. “I’m scared sh**less, but feeling super free right now.”

Smith also acknowledged that he/they has/have a lot to learn about the non-binary community before he/they feels/feel comfortable speaking about what it means to him/them, but said, “for now I just want to be VISIBLE and open.”

Smith provided several resources for people interested in educating themselves on the non-binary and transgender communities, including GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, Stonewall UK, “Queer Eye” star Jonathan Van Ness and actress Laverne Cox, among others. (CBS)