International Non-Binary People’s Day

by Simon

Friday 14th July is International Non-Binary People’s Day, which is observed each year with the aim of raising awareness of the issues faced by non-binary people around the world.

But before we look more at this international awareness day, let’s explore the subject of non-binary gender a little further.

Non-Binary Gender

Non-binary is an umbrella term for gender identities that are not solely male or female. In many cases, the non-binary identity tends to fall under the label of transgender, since most identify with a gender different to their assigned sex. However, there are many non-binary people who don’t identify as trans.

Due to the fact that non-binary people will generally identify with more than one gender, or their gender fluctuates, they mainly prefer to identify under a separate third identity, hence non-binary.

Of course, non-binary people are also part of the wider LGBTQ+ community and when it comes to celebrating pride, there are various flags used for their identity, from the trans flag to the agenda, bigender or genderqueer flags. However, many now use the formal non-binary pride flag (yellow, white, purple and black).

Observing Non-Binary Awareness

As mentioned at the start of the article, 14th July is International Non-Binary People’s Day, and it was first celebrated in 2012. The date was picked because it is exactly midway between International Men’s Day and International Women’s Day!

The day also forms part of Non-Binary Awareness Week which starts on the Monday preceding the 14th each year, and is part of the overall LGBTQ+ awareness period, focussing specifically on gender binary.

So, what can you do to support non-binary people, or perhaps become an ally?

Well there are many ways to be inclusive of everyone, regardless of their gender identity. Our language and the way we speak is often embedded with hidden gendered cues. The key thing is that once we start to notice them, we can move towards using language that’s inclusive for all, such as using pronouns or not using traditional greetings such as ‘ladies and gentlemen’.

There are so many ways in which we can all support the observance of non-binary people - make today the day you do more!