Sam Smith announces new pronouns of ‘they’ and ‘them’

NEW YORK (AP) — Sam Smith has expressed the preference for the “they/them” pronouns after coming out as non-binary in what the pop star called a “lifetime of being at war with my gender.”

The English “Too Good at Goodbyes” singer said Friday they’ve decided to “embrace myself for who I am, inside and out ….”

The announcement was met with thousands of supportive comments. The 27-year-old Smith expressed excitement and privilege for the supporting, admitting to feeling “very nervous” about the announcement but deciding to go for it anyway.

There were detractors, too, who wondered about Smith’s need to declare pronouns, an increasingly common practice within the LGBTQ community and beyond.

Smith won an Oscar in 2016 for “Writing’s on the Wall,” from “Spectre” and has multiple Grammy Awards.