Courtney Stodden Says Elliot Page, Sam Smith Inspired Them to Come Out

Courtney Stodden has opened up about who inspired them to come out as nonbinary.

In a conversation with Page Six, Stodden said that people like Elliot Page and Sam Smith being publicly trans and nonbinary, respectively, helped them to come to terms with their own identity.

"For the longest time I would sit in the shadows and watch brave souls like Elliot Page, Sam Smith and other mainstream celebrities come out," they told the site. "I knew I felt the same as them, but I was afraid I would be ignored because I present as high-femme nonbinary."

It wasn't only Page and Smith who inspired Stodden to come out, though. They also credit their fans with giving them the courage to "live my truth fearlessly regardless of my presentation."

Stodden, a model who starred on Celebrity Big Brother UK and other reality shows, came out as nonbinary on Instagram last week. "They/them/theirs. I don't Identify as she or her," they wrote. "I've never felt like I ever fit in anywhere. 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."

2021 has been a good year for celebs coming out as trans and nonbinary. After Page, who has starred in films like Juno and currently stars in Netflix's The Umbrella Academy,came out as trans in December, it seems like the floodgates opened.

In January, Drag Race UK star Bimini Bon Boulash came out as nonbinary and stated their pronouns are they/them. In February, popular YouTuber Abigail Thorn of Philosophy Tubecame out as a trans woman to her over 800,000 followers. "Hello, friends," she said at the time. "I'm delighted to say I'm a trans woman; my name is Abigail, and you can refer to me with she/her."

Also in February, Lux Pascal, who is Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal's sister and stars in Spanish-language television programs such as Los 80, Juana Brava, and Narcos,came out as a trans woman with the support of her brother. Finally, champion runner Nikki Hiltz came out as trans and nonbinary, saying that they use both she/her and they/them pronouns. "The word I use currently to describe my gender is nonbinary," Hiltz said. "The best way I can explain my gender is as fluid."