Following in the footsteps of Sweden, who added a gender neutral pronoun to the dictionary last month, the Oxford English Dictionary will soon be adding a title for people who identify as gender-fluid or transgender.
The title, ‘Mx.’ – pronounced ‘mix’ or ‘mux‘ – despite seeming like a contemporary development, has actually been around since at least 1977 (where it was found used in an American magazine, Single Parent).
A Tumblr account called Mx Activist has campaigned since 2011 for a non-binary society and the implementation of a gender-neutral titles and terminology. The activist blog houses community-sourced information about the honorific’s history, and evidence that is already a commonly-used term. For example, in the UK, Mx is accepted with some banks, Royal Mail, government departments and councils, some universities, and on driver licenses.
The Oxford English Dictionary’s assistant editor, Jonathon Dent said to The Sunday Times that this is how language evolves:
“This is an example of how the English language adapts to people’s needs, with people using language in ways that suit them rather than letting language dictate identity to them.”
Sally Goldner from Transgender Victoria spoke to the ABC, saying that the honorific addition is welcome, especially when one third of transgender people do not identify as male or female:
“It’s a reminder that people are not feeling validated, and it does cause stress. Documentation and forms that don’t match the reality of people’s existence are part of that.”
via ABC
