The Future Is Nonbinary
So was the past, but now we have the language for it.
Although many may still consider nonbinary people “rare” or “new”, recent research says otherwise! An article released by Time Magazine earlier this month “'Young People Are Taking Control Over Their Gender Identity.' New Research Examines Diversity of Nonbinary Youth,” shared the results of a 2 month study of LGBTQ+ youth which found that over 1 in 4 (26%) of LGBTQ+ youth identify as nonbinary. The research was completed by mental health nonprofit the Trevor Project and found the results to be consistent across age, race, and ethnic groups.
The term “nonbinary” itself is becoming more and more widely used, but this is not the only label that gender expansive youth in the United States identify with! “More and more young people are taking control over their gender identity, and finding language and terms that resonate with them, and expressing that in the world in [ways] that we haven’t necessarily seen in the past.”
When concepts are new to us, it’s easy to overlook the nuance. “We need to reevaluate and start to think about [trans and nonbinary people] as communities that overlap heavily, but are not synonymous with one another”. Older generations often report struggling to understand why kids need ‘all these new terms’ as we are seeing an, “explosion of language that we’re seeing around how young people express their gender.” It’s not that these concepts are new, it's that people finally have access to the language that aligns with their identity.
An incredibly important finding from the study is the little to no variation among the percentage of youth identifying as nonbinary based on ethnic background. Jonah DeChants, a researcher for the project, said “‘It was very affirming to see that this is an identity that emerges, regardless of your racial or cultural background.’” It is essential that we challenge assumptions around what racial and cultural groups are nonbinary and recognize the long history of nonbinary and two spirit, Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
“Nonbinary youth who said “no one” respected their pronouns reported a more than 2.5 times higher rate of attempting suicide in the past year (than those who said their pronouns were respected by “all or most of the people” they know). So, by that same token, if you respect nonbinary youth’s pronouns they are less likely to be suicidal. How’s that for a positive reframe?!
If you take nothing else from this blog post, remember that respecting nonbinary youth’s pronouns can SAVE LIVES!
It’s easy to overlook the impact that your positive words and respect can have on those around you, especially those who might be struggling or need a little affirmation.
Carlisle, M. (2021, July 12). ‘Young People Are Taking Control Over Their Gender Identity.’ New Research Examines Diversity of Nonbinary Youth. TIME. https://time.com/6079326/nonbinary-lgbtq-youth/
