Gender
Neutral
Being gender-neutral is defined in the Miriam-Webster Dictionary as “not referring
or applying specifically to either males or females.” It is sometimes thought of
as “the third gender” and is a form of gender variance.
One of the most prominent aspects of gender-neutrality is the use of correct Preferred Gender Pronouns, or PGPs. When someone is gender-neutral, they often prefer not to be referred to with specifically male or female pronouns. The Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools says that, “in English, the most commonly used singular gender neutral pronouns are ze (sometimes spelled zie) and hir.” While the proper use of these PGPS may seem confusing or difficult to use in everyday conversation, using the incorrect PGPS can be highly disrespectful and insensitive towards gender nonconforming people.
Being gender-neutral is not only an individual’s gender
identity; it can also refer to gender neutrality in a broader sense. For
example, gender neutral parenting has recently become very popular. This
entails raising a child to be neither male nor female, thus allowing them to
discover their gender identity without being labeled at birth. The problems
with gender-neutral rearing are generally due to the difficulty of keeping the
child from being influenced by dichotomous gender in the outside world. Marni
Axelrad, Ph. D. said in an interview with Parents.com that, “if you're not going to
have your child in social situations with other kids--if he's just at home with
you or a sitter most of the time--then it's possible." Though raising a
child gender-neutral may be challenging to do successfully, it allows for the
child to come into their own gender identity and may be a worthwhile effort.
Works Cited
"Gender-neutral." Merriam-Webster.com.
Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2015. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gender-neutral>.
"What the heck is a "PGP"?." gsafe.
2015. Web. 28 Aug. 2015.
<https://www.gsafewi.org/wp-content/uploads/What-the-heck-is-a-PGP1.pdf>.
DiProperzio, Linda. "Should You Raise a
Gender-neutral Baby?." Parents. Meredith Corporation, 2015. Web. 28
Aug. 2015. <http://www.parents.com/parenting/gender-neutral-parenting/>.
I really like the point about raising a child neutrally; I've never thought about that before. I also liked the point about gender neutral PGPs!
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see the progression of the term into the public eye, when 10 years ago, I can imagine very few people had even heard of the term, "gender neutral".
ReplyDelete