Fans stepped up to support singer Sam Smith after the racy video for "I'm Not Here to Make Friends"—the latest single from their fourth studio album Gloria—was mocked by bigoted trolls.
Smith is nonbinary, uses they/them pronouns and has gone on the record about what a relief it's been to embrace their newfound identity after "a lifetime of being at war with [their] gender."
All of this is quite evident based on the video for "I'm Not Here to Make Friends" which shows them wearing a corset and nipple tassels while performing with backup dancers. Smith's appearance makes it quite clear by wearing these clothing items they've come to terms with the feminine aspects of their nonbinary identity.
You can see the music video for "I'm Not Here to Make Friends" below.
But not everyone is happy.
The BBC noted many of Smith's detractors believe the video is "over sexualised."
Indeed, many of these critics came out of the woodwork to decry Smith's appearance.
Fans were not having it however.
They were quick to come to the singer's defense, saying criticisms are rooted in homophobia, transphobia and fatphobia.
Many pointed out Smith's appearance is nothing new when one considers the work of the late glam rockers David Bowie and Freddie Mercury and even current pop star Harry Styles, who all challenged gender norms in their respective performances.
Smith seemingly posted his own response.
Posting a photo of himself captioned "Never too much."
Gloria was released earlier this week, garnering generally favorable reviews from critics.
Kenny Ethan Jones, a trans advocate and writer from the United Kingdom, believes Smith is entering an era of "embracing their queerness" adding "Sam's doing God's work essentially, just allowing everybody to be represented and feel good in their body."
Music video producer Ashleigh Jadee said the reaction to "I'm Not Here to Make Friends" is overblown, noting "nowadays videos are really sexualised anyway."
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