ISSUES
: Sexuality and Gender
Chapter 2: Gender identity
20
Understanding non-binary people
A guide for the media.
W
hat non-binary people say
... “Show us in our spaces,
show our art and our
activism.” “Include us in the media
representation of the world. We
exist in society so we should exist in
places where society is portrayed.”
“Gender variety of all kinds should
be a part of historical, sociological
and political programming and
dramas.” “Show us as ‘real’ people,
with the same dignity and respect
as binary gender people. Show that
our non-binary identity is just as
valid as binary gender identities, we
aren’t just uncertain, indecisive or
attention-seeking.”
What are non-binary
people?
Non-binary is an umbrella term used
to describe people who do not feel
male or female. They may feel that
they embody elements of both, that
they are somewhere in between or
that they are something different.
Non-binary people can still have a
strong sense of gender. They can
find it very distressing to be told
that they must identify themselves
as male or female. Many identify as
transgender.
Being non-binary is different from
being intersex. Most non-binary
people are born with bodies that look
conventionallymaleor female, but grow
up feeling different. Like most people,
they usually develop a sense of gender
between the ages of three and seven.
They may not describe themselves as
different until a lot later because they
don’t have the words with which to do
so, and because there are very few
visible non-binary role models.
Being non-binary has nothing to do
with sexual orientation. Non-binary
people have the same range of
preferences as other people.
Some non-binary people choose to
have surgery or takehormones toalter
their bodies and help them feel more
comfortable. Others don’t feel that
this could help them, or are satisfied
with their bodies as they are. Some
present themselves androgynously
while others look conventionally male
or female but may still ‘come out’ by
discussing their identities openly.
Many try to blend in because they
don’t want to risk rejection.
As an increasing number of non-
binary people choose to live their
lives openly and push for official
recognition, their stories are
becoming visible in the media.
What’s in a name?
As the chart shows, non-binary
people use a range of different
terms to describe themselves. We
recommend that, where possible,
journalists ask them what they
prefer. Most such people are neutral
about the term non-binary so this
can be used as default.
Pronouns
Most non-binary people do not feel it’s
appropriate for people to refer to them
as he or she. Various new pronouns
are used to solve this problem,
including xie and xir, zie and zir, and
sie and hir. Where using a subject’s
preferred pronouns is not possible,
we recommend using singular they.
This usage, where gender is unclear,
goes back a long way in English. It has
enjoyed the support of literary figures
like Jane Austen and today it is used
by major organisations like Facebook.
It is widely accepted and understood.
Invisibility
Many non-binary people tell us that
they feel ignored by the media.
“Allow us to exist in stories and
media, don’t sensationalise the
fact that we are non-binary, give
How would you describe media coverage of non-binary people?
Trans Media Watch asked non-binary people about how they feel they are represented in the media.
6%
Considerate
Exploitative
Hateful
Ignorant
Intelligent
Interesting
Non-existent
Sensationalist
Sensitive
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
54%
25%
90%
6%
10%
75%
72%
4%
