Piers Morgan doesn’t understand what “non-binary” means
On Saturday 9 November, singer-songwriter Sam Smith posted an image of themselves wearing a draped blouse, long-line blazer and wide-leg trousers by Spanish brand MANS Concept Menswear to the LOS40 Music Awards. This innocuous post has inspired disproportional online outrage, with individuals seemingly confused about why a non-binary person would wear “menswear”.
Despite trying to live their best non-binary life in peace, Internet commentators have accused Smith of “hypocrisy” and of being an “attention seeker” — once again demonstrating how difficult it is for non-binary people to do anything without transphobes offering unwanted, ignorant opinions. Piers Morgan was quick to jump on the bandwagon of online hate directed at Smith for their recent wardrobe choice, tweeting: “Sorry, WHAT? I thought you were now ‘gender non-binary’? Are you back to being a man again?”
Smith has been a target for Morgan’s notorious bigotry since coming out as non-binary in March. The Good Morning Britain presenter (and possible transphobic bot) has repeatedly used his platform to suggest that the singer-songwriter’s gender identity is a publicity stunt and to mock their use of “they” pronouns. Given that Morgan’s fascination with Smith is akin to Donald Trump’s insatiable Kristen Stewart obsession, a response such as this was, sadly, inevitable.
What is not inevitable was the wider conversation which the post provoked. It’s disappointing to still be having this conversation, but wearing “menswear” does not make Smith any less non-binary — just as a cis woman might wear menswear without it impacting on their gender identity. Speaking to HUNGER, Jaime Álvarez, the designer behind MANS Concept Menswear has confirmed what we all already know: fashion has no gender. “When I’m designing a collection, I don’t take inspiration from any specific gender,” he says. “MANS clothes can be worn by people of all genders, especially nowadays when clothing items aren’t predestined for a specific gender.”
Whilst he primarily works as a menswear designer, Álvarez was thrilled at the opportunity to see his designs on the musician, suggesting that Smith’s non-binary identity made the achievement even more significant for the brand. “We were in talks with their team for a while but we were shocked when we found it out they wanted us to dress them,” Álvarez says. “It makes us proud that such a big artist trusts such a young brand; especially considering what Sam represents.”
The saddest thing about this debacle is that if individuals invested a fraction of the energy they pour into online and IRL violence towards educating themselves, we would live in a considerably more accepting society. Trans, non-binary and gender-non-conforming individuals are not a threat to cis identity, nor are they a new phenomenon — they have existed throughout civilisation, just like queer people, heterosexual people, and cis people. The only thing that has really evolved about gender is that now we have more language to describe many people’s experiences.
The furore that Smith’s wardrobe choice has provoked only goes to show that we have a long way to go before non-binary, trans and gender non-conforming people will live in a discrimination-free world. In the face of this injustice, we must all do what we can to improve our current society and limit the damage that bigots like Piers Morgan inflict upon the LGBTQIA+ community.
