Week of July 27

There were very few articles this week that discussed gender-neutral issues. Some articles discussed gender-neutral workplace policies and environments. One article discussed how making work more flexible fosters a gender-neutral work environment. Multiple articles discussed The Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s recent gender-neutral parental leave policy. The director of Human Resources stated:

 “Our society is ever-evolving and companies should adapt to these changes. We can never achieve diversity in its true sense when a critical component of diversity such as inclusion remains a pipe dream. It is with this in mind that we have revised all of our policies to ensure that they are gender-neutral and are in line with an inclusive society that we operate in.” 

Other articles discussed gender-neutral language in regards to nonbinary individuals. A survey conducted by The Trevor Project discovered that one in four LGBTQ+ youth use gender-neutral pronouns. One article about making nonbinary individuals feel comfortable discussed installing gender-neutral bathrooms and using gender-neutral language. A couple articles wrote about a Jewish teenager who decided to have a gender-neutral “b’nai mitzvah” ceremony. Meanwhile, a nonbinary New Yorker is suing the state’s DMV to get a gender-neutral “X” option on New York drivers’ liscenses. 

Multiple articles discussed gender-neutral policy changes. The Department of Veteran Affairs has voted to change their motto to be gender neutral. Memorial University received backlash after posting “Men at Work” construction signs. They have since changed their construction signs to be gender-neutral stating, “Contractors will be advised up front, as part of start-up meetings for new contracts, that we expect gender-neutral signage.” New Zealanders will now have a gender-neutral “Mx.” option to fill out for enrollment forms for voting. 

Gender-neutral clothing for kids was also discussed this week. One article highlighted a small online clothing brand for children that provided gender-neutral clothing by not separating articles of clothing by sex. Another article mentioned that Stitch Fix Kids is creating a gender-neutral clothing line. An additional article listed gender-neutral clothing options for preteens’ back to school wear.