Amandla Stenberg & Janelle Monáe Had An Important Conversation About Gender

Amandla Stenberg has always been vocal about their relationship with gender, and they aren't stopping anytime soon.

Stenberg recently sat down with none other than Janelle Monáe for an interview for Teen Vogue, in which the two discussed, amongst other things, Stenberg's thoughts on their gender identity.

In news that probably surprises no one, Monáe is an excellent interviewer, making sure to ask Stenberg about their pronouns so as to make sure that she's being as accurate and respectful as possible.

"I want to make sure that I’m being respectful of how I’m referring to you," she said. "I know that the way we view ourselves and how we want to be addressed can change depending on where we are in life."

Monáe's question here is excellent — it acknowledges that identity is fluid, and often in flux. Stenberg, who explained earlier this year why they don't exclusively use female pronouns, told Monáe, "I love that you asked me! Thank you. I have felt at times that she/her pronouns weren’t entirely fitting, but I’ve never felt uncomfortable with them."

"It’s more important for me to open up that conversation around pronouns and how gender itself is a construct that doesn’t make much sense in our society," they added.

Gender can be a deeply personal thing, but it's refreshing to see someone as young as Stenberg continue to be so open about their identity.

In an interview with People earlier this year, Stenberg said, "I’ve said before that I’m comfortable with using the pronouns ‘they’ or ‘them’ alongside ‘she’ and ‘her’ just because that’s a conversation that’s important to me."

They added, "I tend to believe that gender as we’ve set it up in current-day society doesn’t actually exist."