Mx (title)

Mx, usually pronounced /ˈmɪks/ or /ˈmʌks/ (miks or muks, similar to Ms),[1] is a British English-language honorific for use alongside Mr, Ms, etc. that does not indicate gender. It is often the only option for nonbinary people, as well as those who do not wish to reveal their gender. It is a gender-neutral title that is now widely accepted by the British government and many businesses in the United Kingdom.[2]

Etymology

The word was first proposed in the late 1970s.[3][4] The "x" is intended to stand as a wildcard character, and does not imply a "mixed" gender.[5]

Usage

In 2013 Brighton and Hove City Council in Sussex, England, voted to allow its use on council forms,[6] and in 2014 the Royal Bank of Scotland included the title as an option.[7] In 2015, recognition spread more broadly across UK institutions, including the Royal Mail, government agencies responsible for documents such as passports and driving licences, most major banks, several other companies, and UK charity Battersea Dogs & Cats home.[8]

The title is now accepted by the Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue and Customs, the National Health Service and many councils, universities and utility retailers in the United Kingdom. The UK's House of Commons confirmed in 2015 that it would accept the use of Mx by MPs.[9]

In 2015, it was included in the Oxford English Dictionary,[10] and in April 2016 it was added to Merriam-Webster Unabridged.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "On the pronunciation of Mx". Spacious Perspicacious. 27 Nov 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "The Growing Use of Mx as a Gender-inclusive Title in the UK" (PDF). UKtrans.into. 20 August 2013. Retrieved 22 Nov 2014.
  3. ↑ "Now pick Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms . . . or Mx for no specific gender". The Sunday Times. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  4. ↑ Olivia Goldhill (11 May 2015). "What's it like to be a Mx?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Nat Titman (28 August 2014). "When was the Mx gender-inclusive title created?". Practical Androgyny. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Mx (Mixter) title adopted in Brighton for transgender people". BBC News. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  7. ↑ Saner, Emine (17 November 2014). "RBS: the bank that likes to say Mx". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "Mr, Mrs, Miss... and Mx: Transgender people will be able to use new title on official documents". Daily Mail. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  9. ↑ McCormick, Joseph Patrick (26 May 2015). "MPs given gender neutral option when entering House of Commons". Pink News. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Tanya Pai (31 December 2015). "10 words that explain 2015". Vox. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  11. ↑ "A Gender-Neutral Honorific". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
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