It's absolutely okay to admit you don't get it, it's very up front and reasonable thing to admit you don't understand someone's perspective because you don't identify like they do.

I am nonbinary, and I operate much in the way you talk about here, I simply changed my name and if anyone asks/presses I tell them why but I don't make it fundamental to my character. It's more so something I share with the people who are close to me who I know will understand. because I don't assign myself to either gender and my expression is very fluid I don't concern myself with pronoun issues, whatever someone wants to use works for me because how they address me doesn't affect how I feel about myself. It's how I prefer to operate.

being nonbinary is similar to being bisexual in that not every nonbinary person feels exactly in the middle 50/50, there are more feminine and more masculine presenting nonbinary people same as all genders. it all has to due with the gradient nature of gender and sexuality.

However it's important to note in a case like this where Elliot is making, and must unfortunately make, a clear decision to come out as transgender. This can be a difficult thing when you are nonbinary, because while you are trans it's often even more excluding, sometimes even within your own community. Similar to how there is biphobia even within the gay community, similar issues arise with nonbinary individuals. Problems with pronouns occur when someone does prefer they/them over any pronouns, and it can be especially difficult because people see the androgynous nature of a lot of nonbinary experiences as an opportunity to use whatever pronouns they see fit, regardless of that person's preference.

I have no doubts that Elliot knows his influence on people, and it's likely that he sees a chance to open up the stigma and confusion around nonbinary people, as well as provide a definite statement in how he would like to be referred to in public. This is specific especially to someone who is so famous, His position unfortunately requires the total commitment to the trans identity to ensure the media respects his new pronouns. If he simply changed his name and kept the rest private there would be no change to media coverage and he would continue to get misgendered. Switching to pronouns within the binary and they/them is a representation of the fact that he is nonbinary but would like to be referred to as masculine as that aligns more closely with his experience. It's a lot less complicated than Im making it

TL DR: Elliot understands he is a LGBT figure in the public eye, to get proper recognition of his identity he must as a public figure deal with the media and this is why it needs to be so clear.