Demi Lovato remembers being 'attracted to everyone' from a young age, but felt shamed because of Christian upbringing

• Demi Lovato said their Christian, southern upbringing made it difficult to come out.
• The singer told Jane Fonda they felt confused about their gender and sexuality as a child.

Demi Lovato opened up about how their upbringing impacted their sexuality and gender expression during an interview with Jane Fonda on May 28.

The singer, who came out as nonbinary on May 19, said growing up in a Christian household in the South made it difficult to grapple with both their sexuality and gender identity at a young age.

"Growing up in Dallas, Texas, in the South, being Christian, there was a lot of norms that were already pushed onto me when it came to sexuality and gender," Lovato told Fonda on the Fire Drill Fridays livestream.

"If I looked back at my life, there's been times where I felt more masculine, and then there's been times where I felt more feminine."

The Texas-raised singer said while they have been pansexual their entire life and remember being "attracted to everyone" from a young age, they didn't know what that meant for them.

"There's been moments in my life that have been very confusing for me, you know, being 10 years old attracted to women and not knowing what that meant as a Christian, and being raised in the South," Lovato said.

In addition to their upbringing, Lovato said patriarchy contributed to their difficulty coming out.

"It was putting me in a box, telling me that, 'You are a female, this is what you're supposed to like, this is what you're supposed to do, don't dream bigger and don't speak louder,'" Lovato said during the podcast episode.

"If I had listened to the patriarchy, my life would have never changed. My gender, my pronouns would have never changed."

The US South is home to the most queer people in the country but has numerous anti-LGBTQ policies

While the US South is home to over one-third of queer people in the country, it is also home to numerous anti-LGBTQ policies including a trans medical ban, prohibition of LGBTQ learning materials in schools, and fewer policies regulating queer conversation therapy than other states.

Many Southern states are also considering anti-trans pieces of legislation that would prevent trans youth from competing in high school sports or accessing critical medical care.

Advocates say the trans medical bans, in particular, are dangerous, as studies have found the earlier trans youth have access to gender-affirming care, the less likely they are to develop depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts down the line.