American singer, songwriter, and actor Demi Lovato
Credit: © Debby Wong, Shutterstock

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month. All month long, Behind the Headlines will feature lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer pioneers in a variety of areas.

June 1 marks the first day of pride month in the United States. Today we are celebrating Demi Lovato, an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Lovato first became known as an actor on Disney Channel television programs. Lovato then launched a successful pop music career. Lovato is nonbinary. Nonbinary is a term that describes people who have a gender other than male or female. Lovato uses the gender-neutral pronouns they and them.

Demetria Devonne Lovato was born on Aug. 20, 1992, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Their mother was a country music singer and a professional cheerleader. Lovato began taking voice, guitar, and piano lessons as a child. They also began acting at a young age. From 1997 to 2007, they played the character Angela on the children’s television series “Barney & Friends” (1992-2009). Lovato was bullied in middle school, so they turned to homeschooling. They earned the equivalent of a high school diploma in 2009.

Lovato began working with the Disney Channel in 2007. They appeared on the Disney TV series “As the Bell Rings” (2007-2008) and “Sonny with a Chance” (2009-2011), in which they played the title character. Lovato also starred in a number of Disney TV movies, including the musicals Camp Rock (2008) and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010), and Princess Protection Program (2009). Lovato co-starred with the American pop-rock group the Jonas Brothers in Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2 and toured with the group as a singer. Lovato also has been in other TV series and movies. For example, from 2012 to 2013, they were a judge on the American version of “The X Factor” (2011-2013), a reality-TV singing competition. They also provided the voice of Smurfette in the animated movie Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017).

Lovato’s first music album, Don’t Forget, was released in 2008 and became a hit. Their later albums include Here We Go Again (2009), Unbroken (2011), Demi (2013), Confident (2015), and Tell Me You Love Me (2017). Lovato’s most popular songs include “This Is Me” (2008), “Skyscraper” (2011), “Heart Attack” (2013), “Cool for the Summer” (2015), and “Sorry Not Sorry” (2017). Lovato has written or co-written many of their songs.

In their personal life, Lovato has struggled with eating disorders, drug addiction, and a mental illness called bipolar disorder. They wrote the inspirational book Staying Strong: 365 Days a Year (2013). Lovato has been recognized for their public advocacy (support) of mental health and of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) causes.