Today, we’re celebrating International Non-Binary People’s Day! Non-Binary People’s Day is recognized around the world as an occasion to shine a light on those who identify as non-binary and celebrate the rich diversity of the community.
The term “non-binary” describes someone who does not identify exclusively with the binary gender terms of male or female. Non-binary people may identify as being both a man and a woman or as falling completely outside these categories. Some non-binary people also identify as transgender, though not all do.
As communicators, we believe in the power of words and that respecting others’ pronouns is an important step in recognizing the dignity of each of our colleagues, clients, family and friends. In honor of International Non-Binary People’s Day, we’re celebrating how social media platforms have welcomed inclusive language into their interfaces and aim to educate those who wish to use them.
LinkedIn users can display their pronouns with the choices of She/Her, He/Him, They/Them, or custom (write-in) pronouns. You can make your pronouns visible to all signed-in users, or only to members you’re directly connected with.
Twitter has a gender option within its “Settings” menu which allows you to choose male, female or customize your gender. You can also choose to showcase your pronouns in your bio.
Facebook allows users to choose up to ten of 56 gender options available and a custom field was added in 2014.
Instagram gender can be set as male, female, custom or “prefer not to say”, although you can avoid selecting any of the options. Beginning in May 2021, a profile pronoun field was implemented, allowing users to add up to four pronouns from a pre-approved list.
From trans to genderfluid, androgyne to demigirl, with pronoun options ranging from they to ze, fae, and it, there are dozens of gender identities beyond the binary male and female. Thanks to everyone who continues to help demystify the world of Non-Binary people by welcoming inclusive language into everyday life.
If you have questions on what pronouns to use, what they mean or want to learn more about the importance of inclusive language, check out these helpful links: