X

The discussion on removing the terms work “-woman” or “-man” by replacing all with “X” has frequently been in the news. Recently, the Supreme Court ruled against the decision to acknowledge the use of X for gender-neutral passports within Britain. Interestingly, Argentina have now introduced new ID cards for non-binary people, with other countries such as the US and Uruguay legally acknowledging the non-binary identity. This discussion cannot be certified by any individual opinion. The development of gendered aspects of language can start the informed discussion. Within language that relates to gender, such as Spanish that has a strong use of gendered language, changing use of words depending on the gender; provides a debate within cultural context of what gender then is and how it relates to the make-up of a country. Interestingly, the Spanish speaking countries are the most progressive with change of legal attributes regarding non-binary or non-conforming identities; understandably, the Spanish language is significantly used in the US. For countries that do not rely on gender within the nouns of language, such as Persian, Chinese, allows the global debate to focus on the origin of some languages that then use these pronouns. Understandable the discussion would then not be as significant or needed if there are neutral terms or ways of living without acknowledging gender. Knowing why these placements were introduced could provide strong insight on why it is there in the first place. For English, the interchangeable use of “they” and gendered nouns was used up until the Victorian period where the imposition of “he” was encouraged to dominate in grammar, to connect to the Latin cousins.

The discussion then comes to identity, how one feels being identified. Only the person in question can decide this, despite any other opinion. This goes towards racial terminology, gendered describers and of course, the personal connection. We are not naïve to understanding certain tones from individuals that have continually disagreed or berated a person to know the meaning behind. Identity can be a base to build confidence, to cope with mental health or to find comfort in the unknown, and for another individual to break that for no reason other than for their discomfort of the unknown.

Does the legal framework of any country support the language discussion that has shown a focus on language discourse?

Spanish is a brilliant example and through colonialist history, provides many countries to face the same discussion, in different ways. Spanish is gendered, yet the most recent discussions have focused on inclusive language. This means a third neutral gender to the language, for the Latino (male), Latina (female) and Latinx (non-binary). For countries that have a third gender, or a neutral tone in their language, such as German or Russian, could they be the influencing ideal for the Latin languages.

For a world that is ever changing due to globalisation, are people that are settled in a country with a different linguistic discourse represented? Do ethnic minority groups of Spanish speakers feel represented in their settled countries? Is there a correlation between genders of languages, and cultural acceptance of non-binary identities?

At Pomegranate House, we focus on understanding the cultural differences that make up all elements of a country, company and individual. The discussion of language within workplace and laws, provide attention on all aspects. Get in touch today to find out how we can help dive into a specific analysis of your cultural context. We understand every discussion is important and we are here to facilitate the healthy debate.

Personally, I am a very proud woman, one that strongly identifies with this category. I am aware of how I felt when I was younger, unsure, and unrepresented by public impression of what a woman was. If I were a teenager now, I would have strongly debated the decision whether to identify as non-binary or not. I have experienced many things that humans tend to face whilst becoming an adult since then and building a strong identity of who they may or may not be. I feel strongly compelled to identify as a woman through the strength of surviving anything that has combatted this category. I feel I am now the woman for whom I saw lack of representation in the media, that did not have to rely on one aspect for collective admiration for what it means to be a woman. Showing strength in my identity, knowing if I then identified as non-binary, it would go against my belief of not conforming and being categorised as another group that creates another stereotype. Which, unfortunately, the main cause of this category to not conform to gendered norms, as created a meaning to then conform by these norms.

Overall, the discussion of gender, identity and what this may mean, should not be shunned, regardless of whether you agree with JK Rowling or not. To have these discussions shows collectively that we are developing; becoming aware of our own identity and what this may mean. Ultimately, we should not have any power in identifying any other individual. We are human, collectively an ever-evolving species of mind and thought. I wonder what aspect of our self will be discussed next.