Sam Smith Gets Candid About Facing Transphobia After Coming Out

Ever since disclosing that they’re a trans and nonbinary person, Sam Smith has struggled with prejudice in their public life as a world-famous singer. During an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, Smith talked about their relationship with family and highlighted the transphobia they’ve faced in England after coming out.

“My family can communicate with me now in an even better way,” Smith said of their personal life. “My love life has become better from it. I feel lovable. I feel comfortable in my skin, but I wear what I want to wear. Since changing my pronouns, it felt like a coming home.”

And yet, Smith can’t necessarily say the same thing when it comes to their public life and career. The singer explained, “I think the only negatives in the struggle have been in my public life and my job, and the amount of hate and sh*tiness that came my way was just exhausting. It was really hard. This isn’t me sitting at home Googling my name... It was in the f*cking news.”

“It was hard not to look,” Smith admitted. “I can deal with not Googling myself, not reading comments. That’s something I can control. What people don't realize with trans non-binary people in the UK is… it’s happening in the street.”

Despite the transphobia Smith has faced, their career has only flourished. In 2022, they topped the charts with the no. 1 hit single “Unholy” featuring Kim Petras on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Smith was also nominated for a few 2023 Grammy Awards and has just released their latest studio album, Gloria.

Despite how far we’ve come with LGBTQ+ rights and how Smith is in a unique position in the world due to their celebrity status, it still doesn’t shield the singer from facing blatant transphobia in England and other places in the world.

Nonetheless, we are celebrating the release of Gloria this week and hoping that Sam Smith will conquer the world in 2023!

Sam Smith’s Gloria album is now available on all music streaming platforms.