Courtney Stodden is publicly addressing their gender identity and coming out as nonbinary.
In a recent Instagram post, the 26-year-old Washington state native and former beauty pageant competitor shared with their followers a heartfelt message about how they use they/them pronouns now, and how they felt like they didn't really fit in anywhere while they were growing up.
"They/them/theirs. I don’t identify as she or her," Stodden wrote. "I’ve never felt like I ever fit in anywhere."
They continued:
"I was bullied horribly in school because I was different. The other girls never understood me. It got so bad that my mom pulled me out of school. And still, I don’t fit in. I never really connected with anyone my age. My spirit is fluid with a kaleidoscope of color."
Stodden is no stranger to the spotlight. They rose to online infamy back in 2011 after they married then 51-year-old The Green Mile actor Doug Hutchison in a Las Vegas ceremony. They were only 16 years old at the time, and their relationship was rightfully criticized for the large age gap.
"I was scared to live without a man who convinced me that I couldn’t live without him nor would I ever find love again," Stodden said in a March 2020 Us Weekly interview following their official divorce from Hutchison, who they said groomed them and was verbally abusive to them during their tumultuous relationship. "I am working on myself every day."
"I’ve been scared to even speak up about feeling groomed or being verbally abused during the almost 10-year marriage because I was a child and he was 50 when we married. But I’m a woman now and it’s time for me to put my big girl pants on and speak on this matter," they then explained in an Instagram post about their divorce. "I’ve felt completely trapped, manipulated and at times abandoned by adults. Growing up in such an environment — it became a lonely and dark place."
But the future is looking bright for Stodden, who Variety reports is eyeing a music career and is ready to start living their best, most authentic life.
"I’m excited to begin to truly start expressing myself without worry of others’ judgments or opinions," they told Variety. "I’ve lived too long hiding from who I really am. I’m so excited for everyone to see my true self creatively and spiritually."
