Singer Molly Thomason comes out as non-binary

Visitors to Nova Scotia singer-songwriter Molly Thomason's website may have noticed a surprise announcement on Monday, but is isn't a new album or tour dates.

The singer is now asking to be known as T. Thomason. Thomason came out as non-binary, meaning Thomason doesn't identify as either female or male.

Instead, they use the gender neutral pronouns of "they, their and them" to refer to themselves.

"You have to get used to people saying something differently to you than you've been used to for 20 years," Thomason told CBC Radio's Mainstreet. "Now I'm very comfortable with it and it feels much better."

Friends have been calling Thomason "T" and using gender neutral pronouns.

"For the past six months I have been leading what feels like a double life," Thomson said on their website.

Without a doubt I will receive something at some point that is kind of hateful or uneducated, and whatever, that happens and that's fine.- T. Thomason 

The singer's Facebook profile also featured the announcement and highlighted how difficult it was to tell fans that Molly Thomason was no more.

"There have been times when it was really stressful and really terrifying and I didn't know what was going to happen, or how people were going to react," Thomason said.

"The first thing I was scared of was people not believing me. People saying, 'Oh you're faking or you're trying to get attention,' which is something I still struggle with."

Public announcement

Thomason felt the announcement had to be public, but also feared not being accepted as non-binary.

"The idea that gender is a spectrum, and you fall either 50 per cent one way or 70 per cent one way, or you fall completely outside of that binary, outside of that social construction. I don't know if that really gets talked about too much," Thomason said.

Thomason's family and management team has been very supportive. That support gave Thomason the confidence to come out to fans.

There has been no negative reaction to the announcement yet but even if there is, Thomason isn't concerned.  

"Without a doubt I will receive something at some point that is kind of hateful or uneducated, and whatever, that happens and that's fine," Thomason said.

"But over all people have been very very supportive and very encouraging."