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Mx(title)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Mx." redirects here. For other uses, seeMX.

Mx(/mɪks,məks/[1][2]) is an English-languageneologistichonorificthat does not indicate gender. Created as an alternative to gendered honorifics (such asMr.andMs.) in the late 1970s, it is the most commongender-neutral titleamongnon-binarypeople[3]and people who do not wish to imply a gender in their titles.

Etymology

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The word was first proposed in the late 1970s.[4][5]Thexis intended to stand as awildcard character,and does not necessarily imply a "mixed" gender.[6]

Usage

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In 2013,Brighton and Hove City CouncilinSussex,England, voted to allow the use ofMxon council forms,[7]and in 2014 theRoyal Bank of Scotlandincluded the title as an option for customers.[8]In 2015, recognition spread more broadly across UK institutions, including theRoyal Mail,government agencies responsible for documents such asdriving licences,mostmajor banks,several other companies, and UK charityBattersea Dogs & Cats Home.[9]

The title is now accepted by theDepartment for Work and Pensions,HM Revenue and Customs,theNational Health Serviceand many councils, universities, insurance companies and utility retailers in the United Kingdom.[citation needed]TheHouse of Commons of the United Kingdomconfirmed in 2015 that it would accept the use ofMxby MPs.[10]

In 2015,Mxwas included in aNew York Timesarticle aboutBluestockings.[11]Its casual usage in the paper was picked up by popular news sites and blogs.[12][13]The Times'sstandards editor Phil Corbett later responded to the usage of the title.[14]Later the same year,Mxwas included in theOxford English Dictionary.[15]In 2016,Metro Bankbecame the first bank in the United Kingdom to offerMxon its forms (though other banks had amended records to Mx on request prior to this).[16]In 2017, banks of theHSBC Groupannounced the addition ofMxalongside several other gender-neutral titles as options for their customers.[17]HSBC's 30 March announcement coincided with theInternational Transgender Day of Visibility,celebrated the following day.[18]

In December 2020, theProvincial Court of British Columbia,Canadaissued guidance to lawyers and litigants about court introductions, calling for court participants, when introducing themselves, to state thepronounsand courtesy title that should be used for them. "Mx." was one of the titles that participants were invited to use.[19]

In March 2021, Oscar Davies, anon-binarybarristerfrom theUnited Kingdom,became the first person to useMx(instead ofMr/Ms) on the board of theirchambers.[20][21][22]

AlthoughMxremains uncommon in the United States, in April 2016 it was added to theMerriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.[23]

Indian airlinesVistaraandAirAsia India,bothTata Groupcompanies, addedMxas a third option for passengers booking flights from June 2022.[24]

Pronunciation

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An informal study in 2023 found that 68% of 2,426 participants worldwide who use the title pronounced it/mɪks/,while 24% pronounced it/məks/.[2]Mixteris sometimes treated as a long form of the title (likeMisteris ofMr).[7][25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Definition of Mx".Oxford English Dictionaries.Archived fromthe originalon 28 September 2016.Retrieved6 January2017.
  2. ^ab"The prevalence and pronunciation of the title Mx (2023)".GenderCensus.com.2023.Retrieved25 August2023.
  3. ^"Gender Census 2021: Worldwide Report".Gender Census.1 April 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 22 February 2022.Retrieved30 January2022.
  4. ^Henry, Robin (3 May 2015)."Now pick Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms... or Mx for no specific gender".The Sunday Times.Archived fromthe originalon 19 May 2015.Retrieved4 May2015.
  5. ^Goldhill, Olivia (11 May 2015)."What's it like to be a Mx?".The Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on 12 May 2015.Retrieved1 January2016.
  6. ^Titman, Nat (28 August 2014)."When was the Mx gender-inclusive title created?".PracticalAndrogyny.com.Archivedfrom the original on 31 March 2016.Retrieved4 April2016.
  7. ^ab"Mx (Mixter) title adopted in Brighton for transgender people".BBC News. 10 May 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 25 August 2021.Retrieved13 February2014.
  8. ^Saner, Emine (17 November 2014)."RBS: The bank that likes to say Mx".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 19 May 2021.Retrieved26 January2015.
  9. ^Henry, Robin (3 May 2015)."Now pick Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms... or Mx for no specific gender".The Sunday Times.Archivedfrom the original on 8 July 2017.Retrieved30 May2020.
  10. ^McCormick, Joseph Patrick (26 May 2015)."MPs given gender neutral option when entering House of Commons".Pink News.Archivedfrom the original on 25 March 2016.Retrieved4 April2016.
  11. ^Curkin, Charles (29 November 2015)."At Bluestockings, a Manhattan Activist Center, Radical Is Sensible".New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 7 July 2020.Retrieved1 July2021.
  12. ^Smith, Sydney (3 December 2015)."What is Mx.? Gender-Neutral Pronoun used by NYTimes as Honorific".iMediaEthics.Archivedfrom the original on 26 November 2022.Retrieved25 November2022.
  13. ^Bloomgarden-Smoke, Kara (11 November 2015)."The New York Times Adds 'Mx.' to the Honorific Mix".Observer.Archivedfrom the original on 26 November 2022.Retrieved25 November2022.
  14. ^Corbett, Phil (3 December 2015)."A 'Mx.'? Did The Times Adopt a New, Gender-Neutral Courtesy Title?".New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 9 July 2021.Retrieved1 July2021.
  15. ^Pai, Tanya (31 December 2015)."10 words that explain 2015".Vox.Archivedfrom the original on 2 January 2016.Retrieved1 January2016.
  16. ^Clark, Charles (3 November 2016)."A British bank has become the first in the world to offer a third gender option for 'non-binary' customers".Business Insider UK.Retrieved4 June2017.
  17. ^"HSBC adds new transgender titles including M and Misc".BBC News. 30 March 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 11 May 2017.Retrieved4 June2017.
  18. ^Brignall, Miles (30 March 2017)."HSBC offers choice of transgender titles for bank's customers".The Guardian.London.Archivedfrom the original on 10 April 2017.Retrieved10 April2017.
  19. ^"A change in how parties and lawyers should introduce themselves in court | Provincial Court of British Columbia".Provincial Court of British Columbia.16 December 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 21 January 2023.Retrieved23 May2023.In the new Notice, the Court is asking people to state their name, title (sometimes called "salutation" ), and pronouns to be used in the proceeding, and for lawyers to provide this information for their clients. For example: "My name is Ms. Jane Lee, spelled L-E-E. I use she/her pronouns. I am the lawyer for Mx. Joe Carter who uses they/them pronouns". ( "Mx." is pronounced like the word "mix" and is a gender-neutral title/salutation.)
  20. ^McKinney, C. J. (8 March 2021)."Non-binary barrister listed as 'Mx' by chambers in legal milestone".Legal Cheek.Archivedfrom the original on 20 May 2021.Retrieved20 May2021.
  21. ^Baski, Catherine (18 March 2021)."Non-binary barrister's title marks a legal first".The Times.Archivedfrom the original on 20 May 2021.Retrieved20 May2021.
  22. ^"Non-binary barrister first to appear in chambers with 'Mx' title".Scottish Legal News.19 March 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 20 May 2021.Retrieved20 May2021.
  23. ^"A Gender-Neutral Honorific".Merriam-Webster.Archivedfrom the original on 25 August 2016.Retrieved23 August2016.
  24. ^"Vistara, AirAsia add gender-neutral flight booking options".The Hindu.9 June 2022.ISSN0971-751X.Archivedfrom the original on 28 June 2022.Retrieved28 June2022.
  25. ^Bahadur, Nina (11 April 2013)."Swedish gender-neutral pronoun, 'Hen', added to country's National Encyclopedia".Huffington Post.Archivedfrom the original on 9 May 2021.Retrieved1 April2021.

Further reading

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  • Rivas, Lourdes; et al. (2018).They Call Me Mix / Me Llaman Maestre.Oakland: Lourdes Rivas.ISBN978-0692148839.
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