Mx (title)

"Mx." redirects here. For other uses, see MX.

Mx (usually pronounced /mɪks/ MIKS or /məks/ MəKS^[1][2]) is an English-language neologistic honorific that does not indicate gender. Developed as an alternative to gendered honorifics (such as Mr. and Ms.) in the late 1970s, it is the most common gender-neutral title among non-binary people^[3] and people who do not wish to imply a gender in their titles.

Etymology

The word was first proposed in the late 1970s.^[4][5] The x is intended to stand as a wildcard character, and does not necessarily imply a "mixed" gender.^[6]

Usage

In 2013, Brighton and Hove City Council in Sussex, England, voted to allow the use of Mx on council forms,^[7] and in 2014 the Royal Bank of Scotland included the title as an option for customers.^[8] In 2015, recognition spread more broadly across UK institutions, including the Royal Mail, government agencies responsible for documents such as driving licences, most major banks, several other companies, and UK charity Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.^[9]

The title is now accepted by the Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue and Customs, the National Health Service and many councils, universities, insurance companies and utility retailers in the United Kingdom.^{[citation needed]} The House of Commons of the United Kingdom confirmed in 2015 that it would accept the use of Mx by MPs.^[10]

In 2015, Mx was included in a New York Times article about Bluestockings.^[11] Its casual usage in the paper was picked up by popular news sites and blogs.^[12][13] The Times's standards editor Phil Corbett later responded to the usage of the title.^[14] Later the same year, Mx was included in the Oxford English Dictionary.^[15] In 2016, Metro Bank became the first bank in the United Kingdom to offer Mx on its forms (though other banks had amended records to Mx on request prior to this).^[16] In 2017, banks of the HSBC Group announced the addition of Mx alongside several other gender-neutral titles as options for their customers.^[17] HSBC's 30 March announcement coincided with the International Transgender Day of Visibility, celebrated the following day.^[18]

In December 2020, the Provincial Court of British Columbia, Canada issued guidance to lawyers and litigants about court introductions, calling for court participants, when introducing themselves, to state the pronouns and courtesy title that should be used for them. "Mx." was one of the titles that participants were invited to use.^[19]

In March 2021, Oscar Davies, a non-binary barrister from the United Kingdom, became the first person to use Mx (instead of Mr/Ms) on the board of their chambers.^[20][21][22]

Although Mx remains uncommon in the United States, in April 2016 it was added to the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.^[23]

Indian airlines Vistara and AirAsia India, both Tata Group companies, added Mx as a third option for passengers booking flights from June 2022.^[24]

Pronunciation

An informal study in 2023 found that 68% of 2,426 participants worldwide who use the title pronounced it /mɪks/ MIKS, while 24% pronounced it /məks/ MəKS.^[2] Mixter is sometimes treated as a long form of the title (like Mister is of Mr).^[7][25]

See also

• Accidental gap § Semantic gaps
• Gender neutrality in English
• Include Mx
• Latinx

References

1. . Oxford English Dictionaries. Archived from the original on 28 September 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
2. "The prevalence and pronunciation of the title Mx (2023)". GenderCensus.com. 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
3. "Gender Census 2021: Worldwide Report". Gender Census. 1 April 2021. from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
4. Henry, Robin (3 May 2015). . The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
5. Goldhill, Olivia (11 May 2015). "What's it like to be a Mx?". The Telegraph. from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
6. Titman, Nat (28 August 2014). "When was the Mx gender-inclusive title created?". PracticalAndrogyny.com. from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
7. "Mx (Mixter) title adopted in Brighton for transgender people". BBC News. 10 May 2013. from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
8. Saner, Emine (17 November 2014). "RBS: The bank that likes to say Mx". The Guardian. from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
9. Henry, Robin (3 May 2015). "Now pick Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms . . . or Mx for no specific gender". The Sunday Times. from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
10. McCormick, Joseph Patrick (26 May 2015). "MPs given gender neutral option when entering House of Commons". Pink News. from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
11. Curkin, Charles (29 November 2015). "At Bluestockings, a Manhattan Activist Center, Radical Is Sensible". New York Times. from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
12. Smith, Sydney (3 December 2015). "What is Mx.? Gender-Neutral Pronoun used by NYTimes as Honorific". iMediaEthics. from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
13. Bloomgarden-Smoke, Kara (11 November 2015). "The New York Times Adds 'Mx.' to the Honorific Mix". Observer. from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
14. Corbett, Phil (3 December 2015). "A 'Mx.'? Did The Times Adopt a New, Gender-Neutral Courtesy Title?". New York Times. from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
15. Pai, Tanya (31 December 2015). "10 words that explain 2015". Vox. from the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
16. Clark, Charles (3 November 2016). "A British bank has become the first in the world to offer a third gender option for 'non-binary' customers". Business Insider UK. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
17. "HSBC adds new transgender titles including M and Misc". BBC News. 30 March 2017. from the original on 11 May 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
18. Brignall, Miles (30 March 2017). "HSBC offers choice of transgender titles for bank's customers". The Guardian. London. from the original on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
19. "A change in how parties and lawyers should introduce themselves in court | Provincial Court of British Columbia". Provincial Court of British Columbia. 16 December 2020. from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023. In the new Notice, the Court is asking people to state their name, title (sometimes called "salutation"), and pronouns to be used in the proceeding, and for lawyers to provide this information for their clients. For example: "My name is Ms. Jane Lee, spelled L-E-E. I use she/her pronouns. I am the lawyer for Mx. Joe Carter who uses they/them pronouns". ("Mx." is pronounced like the word "mix" and is a gender-neutral title/salutation.)
20. McKinney, C. J. (8 March 2021). "Non-binary barrister listed as 'Mx' by chambers in legal milestone". Legal Cheek. from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
21. Baski, Catherine (18 March 2021). "Non-binary barrister's title marks a legal first". The Times. from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
22. "Non-binary barrister first to appear in chambers with 'Mx' title". Scottish Legal News. 19 March 2021. from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
23. "A Gender-Neutral Honorific". Merriam-Webster. from the original on 25 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
24. "Vistara, AirAsia add gender-neutral flight booking options". The Hindu. 9 June 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
25. Bahadur, Nina (11 April 2013). "Swedish gender-neutral pronoun, 'Hen', added to country's National Encyclopedia". Huffington Post. from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.

Further reading

• Rivas, Lourdes; et al. (2018). They Call Me Mix / Me Llaman Maestre. Oakland: Lourdes Rivas. ISBN 978-0692148839.