Non-binary people are those that do not identify with the gender binary i.e., they see themselves as neither female nor male.
On July 14, the world celebrated the 9th International Non-Binary Day. Started in 2012, the day is chosen to raise awareness around gender expression that no conforms with the legally recognized binary categories of man and woman. Interestingly, the date of July 14 was also chosen due to the fact that it bisects the International Women’s Day in March and the International Men’s Day in November.
Who is a non-binary person?
A non-binary person, also known as genderqueer, is one who, instead of identifying as a man or a woman, identifies as an intermediate or separate third gender or with multiple genders. They might identify with no gender at all and hence can be ‘agender’. They could also have a fluctuating gender identity which is called being ‘genderfluid’.
While many see non-binary people as falling under the transgender or LGBTQ+ umbrella term, some non-binary people do not consider themselves as transgender. Non-binary is a term specifically for gender identity and not related to sexual or romantic orientation.
Binary gender pronouns of he and she are often rejected by non-binary individuals. Some prefer using gender-neutral pronouns like 'they', 'their' and 'them'. Some non-standard or neopronouns have also gained prominence like ‘xe’, ‘ze’, ‘sie’, ‘co’, and ‘ey’. Instead of the titles of ‘Mr’ and ‘Mrs’, many non-binary individuals prefer to use ‘Mx.’
History of non-binary expression
While the term non-binary may be new in pop-culture, this alternate gender expression is not new. Several cultures across history have placed third genders on the same legal and societal footing as men and women. With the turn of the century, several celebrities have also come out as non-binary in the last decade.
In modern culture, the term genderqueer spun out from queer zines (a form of literature) popular in the 1980s. The term is a precursor to non-binary. The term gained prominence among those challenge the binary social constructions of gender. American citizen James Shupe became the first non-binary person as per official documents in 2016.
Issues that non-binary people face today
Non-binary people are forced to maintain gender identities that they do not conform to in their legal documents and work life. This is because most countries around the world only recognize the binary genders as legal. While this is changing, the global acceptance of the non-binary genders is still low. Some countries that offer non-binary gender options in some legal documents including passports are the US, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
Non-binary individuals also suffer from widespread discrimination despite the growing awareness in recent times. This spans from harassment at the workplace, physical and sexual assault and police harassment, as documented in the US.
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