Appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show yesterday (September 30), Demi Lovato had a conversation with host Kelly Clarkson about using correct pronouns.
Demi Lovato recently came out as non-binary and changed their pronouns to they/them. Demi, 29, and Kelly, 39, talk about the importance of using the correct personal pronouns when addressing others, and how it’s okay to make a mistake as long as your intentions are in the right place.
“How can someone who’s not sure how to address — cause here’s the thing, too, because I always get worried. ‘Cause even on The Voice, we’ve had these conversations with the producers because we’re turned around. So we don’t know them, we’re not allowed to know them. So it could be a they, a he, a she — we don’t know until we turn around and our big thing is ‘Oh god, we don’t want to offend anyone.'”
Clarkson continued the conversation about pronouns saying, “I hate that ‘cancel culture’ and, ‘Oh, they’re canceled because they said this,’ no, no, no. Give them a minute to learn. That’s the truth, right? Because it’s new for everyone, so if people are more comfortable as they/them, I’m totally for that. I just think you have to allow a little grace, right?”
After waiting patiently, Demi was finally able to answer after Clarkson’s tangent, “Yes, you have to have mercy for people that are trying to learn this new thing, and for me, I still mess up sometimes because I was born a female and was female my whole life until I started identifying as non-binary. So for me, I even have times where I slip up.”
“I think it’s important that people remember that this is a new thing and it’s absolutely okay to make an accident, as long as your intention is right,” Lovato continued.
The “Confident” singer gave Clarkson an example of what getting someone’s pronouns correctly would feel like, comparing it to someone knowingly calling you by the wrong name after you’ve corrected them. In the example, Lovato called Kelly “Carrie,” a name that Clarkson said she’s actually been called, as she’s been compared to Carrie Underwood often.
Lovato said the depth and importance of getting a person’s pronouns right is just about accepting each other.
Watch the clip of Demi Lovato on The Kelly Clarkson Show below: