Jonathan Van Ness comes out as non-binary

"I'm just being who I wanna be."

Jonathan Van Ness

Jonathan Van Ness has spoken out about his gender identity. Source: Getty Images North America

Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness AKA JVN has come out as non-binary.

Speaking openly in a new interview with , Van Ness revealed that while he's most comfortable with he/him pronouns, he does not identify as a man, saying: “some days I feel like a boy and some days I feel like a girl.”

“I didn’t really put [my behaviour] together with ‘gender non-conforming’ or ‘non-binary’ or owning that as an identity until recently because I think I just thought that I loved skirts and heels and like a kind of Whole Foods Face,” .

“I just am either like gender-bendy or non-conform-y or non-binary and some days I feel like a boy and some days I feel like a girl. I didn’t think I was allowed to be non-conforming or genderqueer or non-binary — I was just always like ‘a gay man’ because that’s just the label I thought I had to be.”
The star, who has his own podcast, Getting Curious, continued: “Comments come from everyone, but I really feel like if you’re expressing yourself and like that’s what you really feel, then I don’t care. I’m just being who I wanna be.”

The popular 'fab five' member also reflected on his experiences of being bullied as a child, saying that he was always targeted for his feminine behaviour and expression.

“Growing up, I definitely put on every nail polish, every heel, every scarf - I definitely had my mum’s knock-off Hermès scarves in my hair and around my waist - those were my skirts, and I loved it,” he said.

“But when I was really young, I had really femme-shamey, gender-shamey [comments] when I would dress like that.”

You can read the full interview .

Share
Published 11 June 2019 10:22am
Updated 11 June 2019 11:02am
By Samuel Leighton-Dore


Share this with family and friends


SBS News in your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS On Demand
SBS News
SBS Audio

Listen to our podcasts
Join host Yumi Stynes for Seen, a new SBS podcast about cultural creatives who have risen to excellence despite a role-model vacuum.
The day's top stories from SBS News.
Ease into the English language and Australian culture. We make learning English convenient, fun and practical.
Get the latest with our sbs podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch SBS On Demand
Over 11,000 hours

Over 11,000 hours

News, drama, documentaries, SBS Originals and more - free.