The pop culture limelight is finally broadening to mirror a reality individuals have long recognized: gender doesn’t fit into two boxes. Stadium tours to streaming sensations, nonbinary and gender-fluid icons are reimagining the narrative, breaking down stigmas, and empowering devotees worldwide to appear as they are. Here is a top 10 countdown of trendsetters remaking entertainment and fashion, validating that visibility most definitely changes everything.
10. Ruby Rose
Ruby Rose has long been leading the way on gender-fluid representation in Hollywood. Familiar from Orange Is the New Black and for suiting up in Batwoman, Rose has been open about being gender-fluid since she was a child. They’ve shared about working around labels, sometimes being told they weren’t “lesbian enough,” while always demanding the liberty to exist beyond strict categories. Their combination of charm, candor, and fearless roles has made countless fans feel visible.
9. Halsey
Singer-songwriter Halsey is not only famous for genre-defying tunes, but he has also been vocal about using both they and she pronouns. As a new parent, Halsey explained that pregnancy intensified his knowledge of gender, making “they” particularly real. By talking openly about it, Halsey has made pronoun fluidity normal for millions of fans who might be questioning or considering their own identities.
8. Liv Hewson
Australian actress Liv Hewson (Santa Clarita Diet, Yellowjackets) has been out as nonbinary in private for a long while, but when she came out publicly, she didn’t mince words. Hewson has pushed back on the way Hollywood recognizes talent, famously declining Emmy consideration because the gendered categories did not represent who they are. Their refusal to compromise has sparked a real conversation about how award shows and institutions can be altered.
7. Janelle Monáe
Actress, singer, and fashion icon Janelle Monáe is an artistic powerhouse and a voice of liberation. Monáe has explained their identity in terms of being outside the binary, possessing all of the energies rather than being tied to one. Identifying as nonbinary publicly cemented their status as a leader in intersectional representation, particularly for Black and queer communities.
6. Emma D’Arcy
As the lead of House of the Dragon, Emma D’Arcy has become a screen sweetheart and red carpet style provocateur. They’ve spoken about the initial pressures to embody femininity to get work, and how being themselves finally unlocked their success. Whether they’re ruling Westeros or appearing in fashion spreads, D’Arcy embodies a new kind of glamour, one that exists outside of gender.
5. Sam Smith
In 2019, Grammy-winning artist Sam Smith came out to the world as nonbinary, describing the experience as one of utter clarity after listening to other human beings discuss similar experiences. Smith once declared, “I am not male or female. I think I float somewhere in between.” That candor has introduced nonbinary conversations to mainstream pop music, giving their artists and their fans a depth of identification.
4. Emma Corrin
Emma Corrin’s performance as Princess Diana in The Crown was career-defining, but it also triggered a personal investigation. Corrin has since described how portraying the complexity of Diana helped them better understand their own nonbinary identity. Switching pronouns in public spaces and speaking calmly but firmly about gender fluidity, Corrin has become an understated but influential role model for viewers finding their own place on the spectrum.
3. Jonathan Van Ness
Jonathan Van Ness, that bubbly Queer Eye star, introduces nonbinary visibility directly into the living rooms of everyday existence. They have called their gender gender-nonconforming. Occasionally. More feminine, occasionally more masculine, but always unwaveringly them. In the midst of red carpet shenanigans, moving. Moments of advocacy and unshakeable self-confidence, Van Ness has demonstrated.
2. Elliot Page
When Elliot Page came out as trans and nonbinary in 2020, it was a cultural landmark. Page has spoken of the deep relief that comes from being authentically present and the gratitude they feel toward the trans community for having pioneered the path. As a popular actor and outspoken advocate, Page has brought talks about trans and nonbinary representation into mainstream Hollywood in a manner never before witnessed.
1. Bella Ramsey
At just 20 years of age, Bella Ramsey is now amongst the most recognized nonbinary performers in the world today, all due to their performances in The Last of Us. Ramsey has been honest about how their gender is non-binary and that it feels right for them to use “they.” By sharing their struggles and triumphs around pronouns, Ramsey has formed a staggering bond with fans who are living through similar things. Their visibility represents a generation move toward honesty.
From soundtracks to screens, these celebrities are showing that gender is not a script but a playbook of possibilities. Their stories are more than news headlines; they’re maps to a more expressive, inclusive, and playful world where everyone gets to shine on their own terms.