Nonbinary: Difference between revisions

'''Nonbinary''' (also spelled '''non-binary''')<ref>"Gender Census 2018 - the spelling question." ''Gender Census.'' April 22, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2020. http://gendercensus.com/post/173182166480/gender-census-2018-the-spelling-question [https://web.archive.org/web/20221223073715/http://www.gendercensus.com/post/173182166480/gender-census-2018-the-spelling-question Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref> means any [[gender identity]] that is not strictly male or female all the time, and so does not fit within the [[gender binary]]. For some people, "nonbinary" is as specific as they want to get about labeling their gender. For others, they call themselves a more specific gender identity under the nonbinary umbrella. Many people who call themselves nonbinary also consider themselves [[genderqueer]]. However, the terms have different meanings and connotations: genderqueer means any gender identity or [[gender expression|expression]] which is, itself, queer.

There are many other historical events about genders outside the binary, which have existed for all of written history, going back to Sumerian and Akkadian tablets from 2nd millennium BCE and 1700 BCE,<ref>Murray, Stephen O., and Roscoe, Will (1997). ''Islamic Homosexualities: Culture, History, and Literature.'' New York: New York University Press.</ref><ref>Nissinen, Martti (1998). ''Homoeroticism in the Biblical World'', Translated by Kirsi Stjedna. Fortress Press (November 1998) p. 30. ISBN|0-8006-2985-X<br>See also: Maul, S. M. (1992). ''Kurgarrû und assinnu und ihr Stand in der babylonischen Gesellschaft.'' Pp. 159–71 in Aussenseiter und Randgruppen. Konstanze Althistorische Vorträge und Forschungern 32. Edited by V. Haas. Konstanz: Universitätsverlag.</ref><ref>Leick, Gwendolyn (1994). ''Sex and Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature''. Routledge. New York.</ref> and ancient Egyptian writings from 2000-1800 BCE.<ref>Sethe, Kurt, (1926), ''Die Aechtung feindlicher Fürsten, Völker und Dinge auf altägyptischen Tongefäßscherben des mittleren Reiches,'' in: Abhandlungen der Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Philosophisch-Historische Klasse, 1926, p. 61.</ref><ref>Sandra  Stewart. "Egyptian third gender." http://www.gendertree.com/Egyptian%20third%20gender.htm [https://web.archive.org/web/20200206205104/http://www.gendertree.com:80/Egyptian%20third%20gender.htm Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref> This section focuses only on historical events about people who call themselves by the word "nonbinary."

In 2013, a user of the social media site Tumblr coined an abbreviation of nonbinary or N.B., "enby." This word and how people have come to use it is discussed below.<ref name="enby cassolotl">[https://cassolotl.tumblr.com/post/620371385484722176 @cassolotl] on Tumblr (September 2013) [https://web.archive.org/web/20230315012519/https://cassolotl.tumblr.com/post/620371385484722176 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref><ref name="enby revolutionator">vector (revolutionator). ''[http://revolutionator.tumblr.com/post/60853952929/i-wish-there-was-an-nb-equivalent-to-words-like Untitled post]'', September 2013. revolutionator's blog is password-protected, but the post has been reblogged many times, eg: [http://adventuresingender.tumblr.com/post/60940278905/revolutionator-i-wish-there-was-an-nb here], date unknown, captured April 2016.</ref><ref name="enby archeart">{{Cite web |title=Queer Etymology: Enby |author= |work=Androgyne of the Archeart |date=16 December 2019 |access-date=20 September 2020 |url= https://blog.sixy.name/2020/09/20/queer-etymology-enby/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330055748/https://blog.sixy.name/2020/09/20/queer-etymology-enby/ |archive-date=17 July 2023 }}</ref>

In 2017, in the USA, the state of California passed the [[2017 Gender Recognition Act]] "to ensure that intersex, transgender, and nonbinary people have state-issued identification documents that provide full legal [[Recognition (USA)|recognition]] of their accurate gender identity."<ref name="Bermudez">{{Cite web |title=California’s Gender Recognition Act and Impact on Employers - Klinedinst |last=Bermudez |first=Nadia P. |work=Klinedinst Attorneys |date=November 8, 2017 |access-date=May 14, 2020 |url= https://klinedinstlaw.com/employment-law/california-gender-recognition-act-impact-employers|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604104058/https://klinedinstlaw.com/employment-law/california-gender-recognition-act-impact-employers |archive-date=17 July 2023 }}</ref><ref name="SB179">{{Cite web |title=Fact Sheet: California's Gender Recognition Act (SB 179) |author=Transgender Law Center |work= |date=2018 |access-date=May 14, 2020 |url= https://transgenderlawcenter.org/resources/id/ca-sb179|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406000749/https://transgenderlawcenter.org/resources/id/ca-sb179 |archive-date=17 July 2023 }}</ref>

In 2018, in the USA, Washington state began to allow "X" gender markers on official documents<ref name="Jackman">{{Cite web |title=Washington to recognise third gender in groundbreaking move |last=Jackman |first=Josh |work=PinkNews |date=5 January 2018 |access-date=14 May 2020 |url= https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/01/05/washington-to-recognise-third-gender-in-groundbreaking-move/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221213084016/https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/01/05/washington-to-recognise-third-gender-in-groundbreaking-move/ |archive-date=17 July 2023 }}</ref>, with the law stating that {{quote|"X" means a gender that is not exclusively male or female, including, but not limited to, [[intersex]], [[agender]], [[amalgagender]], [[androgynous]], [[bigender]], [[demigender]], female-to-male, [[genderfluid]], [[genderqueer]], male-to-female, [[neutrois]], [[nonbinary]], [[pangender]], [[third gender|third sex]], [[transgender]], [[transsexual]], [[Two Spirit]], and unspecified.<ref name="washington">{{Cite web |title=WAC 246-490-075: Changing sex designation on a birth certificate. |author= |work=Washington State Legislature |date= |access-date=14 May 2020 |url= https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=246-490-075|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325195929/https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=246-490-075|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>}} Also in 2018, well-known cartoonist and songwriter [[Rebecca Sugar]] came out as a nonbinary woman.

In 2019, Collins Dictionary added the word "non-binary".<ref name="wale_Coll">{{Cite web |title=Collins Dictionary recognise the word 'non-binary' |last=McGee |first=Sarah |work=WalesOnline |date=7 November 2019 |access-date=27 May 2020 |url= https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/collins-dictionary-recognises-word-non-17212246|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510224913/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/collins-dictionary-recognises-word-non-17212246 |archive-date=17 July 2023 }}</ref>

The word ''enby'' (plural ''enbies'', derived from "N.B.," the initialism of "non-binary") is a common noun meaning "nonbinary person." It was coined by Tumblr user vector (revolutionator) in 2013 as the nonbinary common noun equivalent of "boy" or "girl."<ref name="enby cassolotl" /><ref name="enby revolutionator" /><ref name="enby archeart" /> Due to that wording, some nonbinary people question whether it can also be used as a nonbinary common noun equivalent of "man" or "woman." The 2020 Gender Census shows that older nonbinary people less often call themselves enbies.<ref name="GC20-enby">{{Cite web|url=https://gendercensus.com/post/620965788841558016/on-enby-and-age|title=On “enby” and age|last1=Cassolotl|first1=|date=15 June 2020|website=Gender Census|access-date=15 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717090737/https://gendercensus.com/post/620965788841558016/on-enby-and-age|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>

*'''[[Androgyne]]''' (from Greek, meaning "man-woman")<ref>"Androgyne." ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary.'' Retrieved July 5, 2020. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/androgyne [https://web.archive.org/web/20230527213452/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/androgyne Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref> and has been used for many kinds of people who don't fit into the gender binary. Even a century ago, some people who called themselves androgynes saw themselves as a mix of male and female.<ref name="Trans Bodies 611" /><ref>Katz, Jonathan Ned. "Transgender Memoir of 1921 Found". ''Humanities and Social Sciences Online''. N.p., 10 October 2010. Web. Retrieved April 13, 2017.</ref>

*'''[[Bigender]]''' people feel they have two genders at the same time, or moving back and forth between them at different times.<ref name="Trans Bodies 611"></ref><ref name="Schneider APA 2008">Schneider, M., et al, American Psychological Association, ''APA Task Force on Gender Identity, Gender Variance, and Intersex Conditions'', 2008 [http://www.apa.org/topics/lgbt/transgender.pdf Answers to Your Questions About Transgender People, Gender Identity, And Gender Expression] (PDF), date unknown, captured April 2016. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230306005418/http://www.apa.org/topics/lgbt/transgender.pdf Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref><ref name="2019 Gender Census" />

*'''[[Genderqueer]]''': Any gender identity or expression which is queer, in and of itself. That is, a gender which is transgressive and non-normative. This can be an umbrella term, or a specific identity. The word comes from 1995.<ref>"Answering gender questions concerning genderqueer." ''Genderqueer ID.'' http://genderqueerid.com/post/8813994851/answering-gender-questions-coining-genderqueer [https://web.archive.org/web/20230525021313/https://genderqueerid.com/post/8813994851/answering-gender-questions-coining-genderqueer Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref><ref name="Trans Bodies 614" /><ref name="2019 Gender Census" />  

* [[Notable nonbinary people#Olly Alexander|Olly Alexander]], the lead singer and songwriter for electropop band Years and Years.<ref name=alexanderout>[https://open.spotify.com/track/6kKyebFUFBo7tTvePMFJuK Years &amp; Years: Inspiring - #PlessPlayForPride] Spotify, June 7 2016 [https://web.archive.org/web/20210627122508/https://open.spotify.com/track/6kKyebFUFBo7tTvePMFJuK Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>  

* [[Kate Bornstein]], an influential writer on gender theory, publishing books on the subject from the 1990s to the present.<ref>Retrieved November 11, 2019. http://katebornstein.com [https://web.archive.org/web/20230602132908/http://katebornstein.com/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>  

* [[Notable nonbinary people#Amandla Stenberg|Amandla Stenberg]], a singer and actor who has won the BET Awards for YoungStar Award.<ref name=stenberg>''[http://amandla.tumblr.com/post/140354978498/hi-folks-dazedfields-and-i-are-organizing-a hi folks, @dazedfields and I are organizing a workshop on feminism]'', amandla.tumblr.com, March 2, 2016 [https://web.archive.org/web/20230605000437/https://amandla.tumblr.com/post/140354978498/hi-folks-dazedfields-and-i-are-organizing-a Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref><ref name=stenberg2>''[http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/hunger-games-actress-comes-out-as-non-binary/ Hunger Games actress says she 'doesn't feel like a woman all the time']'', Gay Star News, March 4, 2016 [https://web.archive.org/web/20230412155153/http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/hunger-games-actress-comes-out-as-non-binary/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>  

* [[Rebecca Sugar]] (a nonbinary woman) is a writer, songwriter, and artist whose work on the cartoon series ''Adventure Time'' and ''Steven Universe'' has earned her six Primetime Emmy Award nominations.<ref>https://io9.gizmodo.com/steven-universes-rebecca-sugar-on-how-she-expresses-her-1827624015?IR=T [https://web.archive.org/web/20230601170515/https://io9.gizmodo.com/steven-universes-rebecca-sugar-on-how-she-expresses-her-1827624015?IR=T Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>

* [[Demi Lovato]], an American singer, songwriter, and actor, came out as non-binary and changed their pronouns to they/them in May of 2021.<ref>https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49688123 [https://web.archive.org/web/20230604015606/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49688123 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>

* Ben De Backer in ''I Wish You All The Best'' is nonbinary. (Their sister is accepting but the rest of the family isn't.)<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Nonbinary Teen Makes Their Way In The World In 'I Wish You All The Best' |last=Kontis |first=Alethea |work=NPR.org |date=1 June 2019 |access-date=9 May 2020 |url= https://www.npr.org/2019/06/01/726669344/a-nonbinary-teen-makes-their-way-in-the-world-in-i-wish-you-all-the-best|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414103433/https://www.npr.org/2019/06/01/726669344/a-nonbinary-teen-makes-their-way-in-the-world-in-i-wish-you-all-the-best |archive-date=17 July 2023 }}</ref> The author, [[Mason Deaver]], is also nonbinary.

* ''[https://www.gocomics.com/phoebe-and-her-unicorn/2019/02/05 Phoebe and her Unicorn]'' by Dana Simpson has a nonbinary character named Infernus, the Unicorn of Death. Phoebe uses the pronoun "neigh" for Infernus.<ref>[https://www.gocomics.com/phoebe-and-her-unicorn/2019/02/09 Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson for February 09, 2019] [https://web.archive.org/web/20220808132101/https://www.gocomics.com/phoebe-and-her-unicorn/2019/02/09 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>

*In ''John Wick 3,'' the Adjudicator is nonbinary and played by Asia Kate Dillon, who is also nonbinary.<ref>"[https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/05/27/asia-kate-dillon-john-wick-non-binary/ Asia Kate Dillon suggested their John Wick 3 character be non-binary]", Pink News, 27 May 2019. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230210032840/https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/05/27/asia-kate-dillon-john-wick-non-binary/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>

*Bishop in the Fox drama series ''Deputy'' is nonbinary canonically, thanks to a suggestion by the character's actor [[Bex Taylor-Klaus]] who is also nonbinary.<ref name="Bentley">{{Cite web |title=Bex Taylor-Klaus Hopes Their Nonbinary 'Deputy' Character Will Save Lives |last=Bentley |first=Jean |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=14 February 2020 |access-date=23 April 2020 |url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/bex-taylor-klaus-deputy-binary-reveal-1279351 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210032843/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/bex-taylor-klaus-deputy-binary-reveal-1279351 |archive-date=17 July 2023 }}</ref>

*''Invader Zim'', Jhonen Vasquez confirmed all irkens are neither male or female, stating "the only IRKEN gender is A55H0LE. all caps." <ref>{{cite web|title=Tweet from Jhonen Vasquez|url=https://twitter.com/JhonenV/status/1325571053238640640?s=19|archive-url=False|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>